Empire Day
by SapphireAlena
Summary: 1ST PLACE—Star Wars Fanfiction Awards on Wattpad! Luke turns 8 on Empire Day. The Empire ordered a galaxy-wide census on that day. Instead of the pod races, the Lars family heads to Mos Eisley for the census. Complications ensue when Luke runs in front of a speeder. The Emperor's henchman, Darth Vader, is not pleased with the disturbance, taking matters into his own hands. COMPLETE
1. Title Crawl

**TITLE CRAWL**

Eight years. Eight years since liberty fell with thunderous applause. Eight years of dictatorship. Eight years of darkness.

Fear rules each heart. Fear of their children stolen from them. Fear of enslavement. Fear of genocide.

A spark of hope resides in each tortured soul, because REBELLION is built on hope. And their hope is in an outdated prophecy—the CHOSEN ONE who would restore the balance, who would end the tyranny, who would make all things new. The CHOSEN ONE is dead.

Each day, the ALLIANCE TO RESTORE THE REPUBLIC coordinates guerilla attacks on IMPERIAL bases across the galaxy, waiting for something to turn the tide, waiting for A NEW HOPE. Hidden from the EMPEROR, unaware of his own identity, their NEW HOPE lives in obscurity on the desert planet of Tatooine.

Little does young LUKE SKYWALKER know that his life is about to change forever. On EMPIRE DAY, he will meet the father he never knew—he will meet the CHOSEN ONE. And the one thing that the EMPEROR considers the JEDI's greatest weakness will be the one thing that will conquer all—LOVE.

NOTE: After many comments that Luke is acting too young for a ten-year-old, I am changing his age to eight. However, it's going to take a while to update all the chapters. Please be patient as the updates are made. Thank you. SA


	2. Chapter 1 - Binary Suns

**CHAPTER 1 - BINARY SUNS**

The hum of the cooling unit and food processor filled the domed, subterranean dwelling. Thick ecru plaster walls kept the daytime heat out as well as the nighttime cold out.

Trying not to slurp, seven-year-old Luke spooned his soup into his mouth. His gaze darted between Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen as he looked for the slightest hint of displeasure. Luke had learned early on that children were to be seen and not heard at the dinner table.

Sand filled his fluffy blond hair, and grease smudged his tunic and leggings. _But how does Aunt Beru expect me to stay clean after fiddling with the moisture vaps every day with Uncle Owen? He's just as filthy._

Small for his age, many thought he was five or six, not seven going on eight. No machine had stumped him yet, whether it was a moisture vaporator, Aunt Beru's food processor, or Uncle Owen's V-35 Courier landspeeder. Even under the broiling binary suns of Tatooine, nothing thrilled him more than figuring out why something wasn't working, unless it was flying his T-16 Skyhopper through Beggar's Canyon.

That was one thing Uncle Owen could not take away. The crazy old wizard Ben who lived out beyond the Dune Sea had flown it in last season. When Uncle Owen had told him to get it off his property, Ben had waved his hand in front of his face and said words that Luke was sure he would never forget—"It's not mine. It's Luke's. It belonged to his father."

Uncle Owen's craggy face transformed from spluttering indignation to bright red. He had looked to the skies before nodding his head. "Now get out of here, you crazy old wizard. And don't come back again."

While Luke still wondered about his mysterious father, of whom the mere mention sent Uncle Owen into fits, he could forget it all when he was flying. Soaring through the canyon, avoiding perilous death—the thrill and excitement—that's what Luke yearned for.

It was only then that he could dream of one day flying in space, joining the Rebel Alliance, and fighting the Empire. It was only then that Uncle Owen could not crush his dreams and remind him he was inheriting the moisture farm. It was only then he could dream of adventure, of fame, but most of all, of freedom.

Uncle Owen's heavy fist rattled table, jerking Luke out of his daydream. The boy returned his attention to his vegetable soup and wiped the broth that dribbled down his chin before anyone else noticed.

He rubbed his dirty hand on his sand-colored leggings and tunic. The color not only reflected the intense heat of the binary suns of Tatooine, but it also camouflaged him from the Sand People while he was out on the farm. Aunt Beru would have it no other way.

Orphaned by the Clone Wars, his aunt and uncle had taken him in when his parents had both died, shortly after his birth. Neither his aunt nor his uncle would tell him anything about their deaths—or anything about his parents at all. He did not even know their names.

As Luke sat at the dinner table quietly eating, he could _feel_ the tension between his aunt and uncle. Owen Lars scared Luke. The man stood almost two meters tall. His stocky stature disguised the farmer's strength. His brown hair was slowly graying, and his blue eyes could pierce straight through you. He always wanted things done a certain way, and it seemed to Luke that he could never do anything right.

The only time Uncle Owen was happy was when he was with his wife Beru. And the only thing that kept Luke from running away from the farm, besides the marauding Sand People, was his Aunt Beru. This loving woman sported soft, brown hair that she braided at the back of her head, and her eyes could warm your heart with just a small glance.

Unable to have children of her own, she cared for Luke deeply. Moreover, she understood Luke—his passions, his restlessness, his frustrations.

It only took one frown from Aunt Beru for Luke to straighten up. He never wanted to disappoint her.

Aunt Beru hesitated after a few minutes of silence before asking her husband, "What did Bandunga want?"

Uncle Owen harrumphed in disgust at the question.

Luke turned his eyes to his uncle's stubborn face.

"There's to be an Imperial census. We have to go to Mos Eisley and register."

With worry, Aunt Beru's jerked her head to Luke. "All of us? Can't Luke and I stay back, while you register us?"

"Stormtroopers will be distributed around the planet to round up any stragglers. There's no way out, Beru." Owen shook his head before slurping another spoonful of soup.

Beru stared at Luke again.

He could feel something was wrong, something she and Uncle Owen did not want to tell him. He had a feeling it had to do with his parents.

"I can take Luke to Ben. I'm sure he could protect us, Owen."

"No, Beru! We will not do anything with that crazy old wizard. Don't ever bring up his name again in this house. Do you understand?" Uncle Owen leaned on the table, his cheeks flaring red in anger.

Luke shrunk back in fear. He had never seen his uncle angry at his aunt before. The young boy gazed at his aunt. Her face was filled with fear. The boy could not tell if she was afraid of her husband or afraid for Luke.

Beru gasped as she pulled Luke to her side.

He squirmed under Beru's grip.

"If we go, Owen, we'll have to register Luke under his name. If the Imperials find out that he's here . . ."

"They'll find out anyway if we don't show up. The Imperials have already demanded the local records. An agent is already at Tosche Station. He's been asking about everyone around here—names, ages, relations. There's nothing we can do about this Beru but hope that by following the order, we'll slip through unnoticed." Taking a haunch of meat and gnawing a piece off the bone, Owen relaxed in his chair.

Luke did not understand. _Is Uncle Owen in trouble with the law? Why would the Imperials care about a seven-year-old boy anyway?_

Beru nodded in agreement. "When?"

"Empire Day."

"Empire Day? We can't go on Empire Day, Uncle Owen! That's my birthday, and you _promised_ that you would take me to the pod races on my eighth birthday! You promised!" Luke's eyes grew large, and his voice raised in pitch to a hideous whine.

"Son, I'm sorry, but there's nothing that we can do about this," Owen said, placing his hand on Luke's. "I'll make it up to you another day."

"That's what you said last year and the year before that." Luke jerked his hand away and stood up, not even asking to be dismissed. "I guess I'll never get to do anything fun, ever."

Luke marched out of the dwelling, into the desert.

Owen called, "Son."

Luke turned back before storming out of the door. "I'm not your son."

"Owen." Beru crossed to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She rested her head on his left shoulder. "Let him cool off."

"Beru, that boy doesn't know what we're risking keeping him here."

"He would if you would tell him the truth."

"No, I won't have him going off on some half-witted, idealistic crusade like Anakin did. I won't have him turn into a monster." Owen crossed his arms. "I owe it to Shmi. We owe it to Padmé to make sure he turns out right."

"I'll talk to him, Owen. He'll listen to me." Beru kissed her husband on the cheek before heading up the stairs to the exterior of the homestead.

* * *

Beru found Luke standing on an orange boulder, gazing out at the binary suns as they lowered on the horizon over the Dune Sea. Funnels of sand blew across the dunes as the twin suns cast an orange glow upon the desert and the sky above. Opposite the suns, two of the three moons crested the horizon.

Luke knew she was coming before she arrived. He could feel her presence, her warmth, her concern. As he inhaled her scent, a part of him luxuriated in her love.

She put her arm around his shoulder and looked at him, pursing her lips together. Eventually she spoke. "You know he loves, don't you?" she asked. "In his own way."

"Yeah, I guess so." The boy shrugged his shoulder as he kicked a rock.

"And I love you, Luke." She rubbed his back.

"I know you do, and I love you, Aunt Beru. It's not that I'm not grateful, it's just . . ."

"You long for adventure? To fly across the stars?"

"How come you get it but Uncle Owen doesn't?"

"I knew your father. You're very much like him." She stroked his hair, shaking some of the grit from it. "You have his eyes, you know, and his chin."

"My father! Aunt Beru, why won't you tell me anything about him? I don't even know his name." Luke thrust his lower lip out as his pitch climbed in a petulant whine.

Beru knelt beside him and grabbed his shoulders, turning him to face her. "Shh. It's for your safety, Luke. If the Empire knew that you were alive, they would take you from us."

"Why?"

"Because of your father." When Luke opened his mouth to ask another question, Beru laid her finger on his lips. "Hush. I can't tell you any more."

Tears raced to Luke's eyes. He rubbed them away with the back of his hand.

Beru bit her lip and sighed before continuing. She stroked his face softly, catching an errant tear that trailed down his dusty cheek. "Luke, when we go to Mos Eisley, we are going to list you as our son, as Luke _Lars_ , not as Luke _Skywalker_. It is very important that you stick close to us while we are there and don't talk to anybody else."

The boy remained still, trying to comprehend what his aunt had just told him.

"Your life depends on it."

"But—"

"No. Luke, the Empire is hunting down children, taking them from their families, turning them into something evil. And if they find you—just promise me you'll keep your mouth shut and won't wander."

He nodded his head, still confused, but he could feel the fear emanating from his aunt. He hadn't felt fear like this since he broke his arm a few years ago. "I promise, Aunt Beru."

She smiled at her nephew as she stood. "I'll talk to your uncle. I'm sure there will be lots of spacecraft in Mos Eisley for the census. Maybe we can go check them out after we're done with the clerks."

The young boy jumped up and down with a smile beaming across his face. "Really, Aunt Beru? Really? _Spacecraft_? Not just atmospheric craft?"

Beru nodded, returning the smile. His joy was infectious.

After a few moments, Beru turned back to the sunset. He could feel the import of her words bathed in fear. "Luke, your uncle is afraid for your safety. He thinks the safest place, the safest thing for you to do, is to stay on this farm all your life."

"But you don't?" He looked up at her, the orange sunset making her face even warmer in his eyes.

"I want you happy. All happiness comes with risk." She gazed into his electric-blue eyes. "I know one day I'll have to let you go, let you find your own path. Whatever that path may be, it will have its own dangers. But I would rather have you pursue what you know is right—your destiny—Luke, than to live a life you were never meant to."

Beru turned back to the sunset, her arm around her nephew, as they watched the suns disappear from the horizon.


	3. Chapter 2 - Mos Eisley Census

**CHAPTER 2 - MOS EISLEY CENSUS**

Owen Lars raced his yellow V-35 Courier landspeeder across the desert toward Mos Eisley. The V-shaped nose and three repulsorlift engines at the rear bounced over the desolate wasteland.

Squeezed beside Owen in the tight cockpit, Beru clutched Luke's legs that wrapped around her neck. Even though Uncle Owen had insisted on strapping in Luke like cargo, the boy was still able to tilt to the left and right as his uncle maneuvered the speeder around the rocky outcroppings of the desert.

After a few hours of travelling at 120 kph, Owen pulled the speeder to a halt on a cliff above the city.

Luke peered over the edge of the speeder, seeing the city for the first time in his life. _It's humongous!_

White buildings with thick walls crowded against each other. Spacecraft landed and launched from the spaceport.

The farmer boy raised his macrobinoculars to watch as another craft approached—a _Lambda_ -class Imperial shuttle. _Wonder who's on that shuttle. Only the high-ranking officers get those._

He inhaled as he followed the shuttle's graceful approach to the spaceport. The boy slipped into a daydream for a minute, pretending he was the pilot shuttling that very important officer to Mos Eisley.

Uncle Owen startled him out of his fantasy. "Luke, remember, no wandering off. Stay close to your aunt and me at all times. And keep your mouth shut. Do you hear me?" He emphasized this request with a chunky finger pointed right at Luke's eyes.

"Yes, Uncle."

"If you're good, we'll stop by the spaceport to look at some of the ships before we head home."

Luke brightened at that promise but then frowned. _Yeah, right, you never keep your promises._

* * *

As they waited in line under the twin hot suns, the sweat evaporated quickly. Even though it was still early morning, the temperature had already risen above thirty degrees. Their lips cracked, and their skin baked under the broiling glare.

The queue snaked through around the landspeeders jamming the side streets. While the line moved quickly, not even tall Owen could identify the census location. The herd of humanoids moved a meter at a time, shuffling along in order.

Their white armor gleaming in the brutal sunlight while they held their E-11 blasters across their chests, Imperial Stormtroopers monitored the queue. Luke could only imagine how hot they were in that armor.

The soldiers maintained silence in the line. Those who complained about the heat or stepped out of line for any reason were disciplined with a blaster butt to their stomachs. It only took one example for the group around Luke to maintain silence.

More than humans composed the line, too. Luke saw all different aliens. Some, like the Sand People and Jawas, he recognized from the homestead. Exotic creatures included the tall, hairy Wookiees and the amphibian Nautolans with large dark eyes and tentacles that draped over their shoulders. Luke spotted a Weequay and even a juvenile Hutt scooting his slug-like form across the dusty road.

* * *

A few hours later as the twin suns Tatoo I and Tatoo II crested in the blue sky, the Lars family neared the census headquarters.

 _I hope they have some water in there. I'm so thirsty. I guess we should have conserved our canteens._ He wiped the sweat from his peered into the empty white container, looking for even a drop of moisture left. He screwed the cap back on and attached it to his utility belt.

The boy looked around, hoping the stormtroopers were not watching. _Maybe I can break away and get some water at that cantina over there._ _No one seems to be ar—_

Luke jumped back in line as a squad of troopers led three Tusken Raiders—or Sand People as they were commonly known—past his family to the rear of the building. The Tuskens wrappings fluttered in the wind, but Luke did not miss their shaking with fear.

Aunt Beru pulled the wiggly boy back, pushing him in between the hot confines between her and Owen. She hid his face from view.

Luke shuddered when muffled blaster shots echoed through the alley. He tried to break free to see what would happen next, but his uncle maintained a strong grip on him. But he heard. There was no mistaking the screeches of Tuskens nor the howls of the Wookiees that followed.

Stormtrooper squads surrounded the few Wookiees in line. They attached binders and lead them past Luke toward the spaceport. The boy could smell their musty aroma as they passed by them. Their moans and growls ricocheted off the thick plaster walls as they passed.

He pulled away from his uncle's grasp. "It's not fair!"

His uncle grabbed him by the arm, glaring at him. The large man shoved the boy behind him, next to a stucco wall.

The boy grimaced at the silent discipline, calming himself before the stormtroopers shot them.

They all held still as a stormtrooper commander passed by their area. His filtered voice said, "Next word from any of you, and you'll join those grungy Sand People."

Luke shuddered and muffled a squeal in his sleeve.

When they reached the two stormtroopers guarding the door, Owen and Beru trembled under the gaze of the hardened soldiers.

No longer able to see the spaceport, Luke kept his eyes glued to his uncle's back. He did not want any trouble.

Inside the headquarters, meter-thick, stucco walls kept much of the heat out. A long counter stretched twenty meters from one end of the room to the other.

Imperial bureaucrats sat behind the counter, with an entire platoon of stormtroopers standing guard behind them. Stormtroopers maintained tight control at their stations throughout the room.

The soldier in charge of the queue nodded to Luke's uncle. Owen led them to the next open window. He and his wife sat in the two chairs, while the boy stood behind them.

 _At least it's cooler in here._ Luke wiped the sweat from the back of his neck.

The man behind the counter asked without looking up, "Name?"

Uncle Owen cleared his throat. "Lars, Owen Lars."

"Date of birth?"

"10.21.-23 Imperial Calendar."

When the Empire had risen, the Emperor had instituted a new calendar. Those born before the first Empire Day were required to use negative calendar years to reflect their loyalty to the Empire instead of using the old calendar system of the Galactic Republic.

"Residence?" The man's voice shook with weariness.

"Lars Homestead, beyond Tosche Station, Parcel number 2187-1138."

"Occupation?"

"Moisture farmer."

"Family?"

"Married to Beru Whitesun these last 17 years."

"Her date of birth?"

"2.21-20."

"Children?"

"One son. Luke. Born 1.1.01."

The clerk looked up with surprise. "Happy birthing day, young man. You must be a very special boy. You're the first person I've met who was born on _the_ Empire Day. With luck like that, you should make a fine Imperial officer one day."

Luke stared at him, not sure if he should reply. Uncle Owen had ordered Luke to keep his mouth shut at all times.

"Luke, be courteous and thank the man," Beru said with a grim smile.

"Thank you, sir," he mumbled.

The man smiled back at Luke before pressing a few buttons on his datapad. "Now, I will start with you, Lars. Retinal scan, fingerprints, and blood samples. Won't take but a moment."

Owen stepped forward, allowing the man to process the samples.

Before submitting to the procedure, Beru asked, "Why exactly does the Empire need our blood samples?"

"Nothing to worry about. Just want to match up the war orphans with their families." The officer's crisp Coruscanti accent lilted at the end.

Luke knew he was not telling the entire truth. Darkness hovered over the man now. He knew the man was hiding something, something that would affect him. In any case, they would know he was not Uncle Owen's son, that he was only a nephew.

Young Skywalker felt his Aunt Beru's fear increase. Something inside him screamed for him to escape, to run away from this place as fast as he could.

While his aunt put forth her arm for the blood test, Luke turned around in silence and fled, weaving through the stormtroopers and citizens.

"Stop that boy." A stormtrooper aimed his blaster rifle at him.

Luke turned his head when the safety clicked.

Aunt Beru yelled, "He's just afraid of needles. Don't shoot him. Please!"

Luke kept running, straight into the side street adjoining the census headquarters. When he turned his head to the front, a speeder travelling at 80 kph collided with him. Blackness took him as he collapsed to the hard-packed dirt.


	4. Chapter 3 - That's My Son

**CHAPTER 3—THAT'S MY SON**

The sergeant looked up from his duty post outside the temporary holding cell. The electric corral herded the gauze-wrapped nomads to the center of the enclosure. Still twitching, one Tusken lay dead by the fence where he had strayed too close.

Pulling himself to attention, the sergeant drew his rifle from across his chest to the left shoulder position. He watched with curiosity as his superior approached.

His grim visage obscured by his helmet, the stormtrooper captain marched over to the Sand People detention area. His armored limbs swooshed through the deep sand.

The sergeant supervising the captives asked, "Yes, Captain?"

"Termination orders." The captain handed a code cylinder to the sergeant.

The sergeant rolled the cylinder in his glove. "All of them?"

"You heard me, Sergeant. And make it quick. Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived."

The sergeant glanced at the spaceport, noticing the tips of the _Lambda-_ class shuttle protruding above the rest of the craft. He transmitted the order to his squad. "Terminate."

The sergeant turned back to the fifty Tusken Raiders that now cowered against the back wall as his troopers swarmed the enclosure. He was grateful that their native dress obscured which were women and which were men. However, he hated killing the children.

There was no firing squad this time. The troopers simply fired at point-blank range to each head, killing each Tusken Raider in the compound. Their gargled death screams would haunt the sergeant for the rest of his life.

As the last raider fell, a large figure armored in a black life-support suit marched into the compound. His black cape trailed, stirring up the sand as he moved.

The sergeant said, "Attention. Squad, fall in."

The troops abandoned their task, leaving the corpses of the Sand People strewed in a line with a few piled on top of each other. They came to attention in a straight line while the captain stepped to the Sith Lord.

"My lord, welcome to Tatooine."

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Captain. Report."

"As you can see, they are all terminated, Lord Vader." The captain pointed to the pile behind the row of stormtroopers. "Even the children. Just as you ordered."

Vader moved his mask in the direction of the jumbled bodies. His visual scanner analyzed the creatures, counting them. "Fifty? You think there are only fifty Sand People on this Force-forsaken planet? There are children, yes. But the rest of these are the aged and infirm."

The Sith Lord pivoted and pointed at the captain's face, causing the man to shrink back in fear. "Captain, send your men into the area and take care of this _infestation_ once and for all. If I have to deal with this myself, you will join their fate. Am I making myself clear, Captain?"

"Yes, my lord. Vesk Squadron, head out toward the Dune Sea. The rest of you, range out between Anchorhead—"

A large crash cut her off, followed by screams outside the precinct. Chaos broke out as citizens swarmed the area.

Lord Vader turned his head to the source of commotion.

The captain said, "Sergeant, check out the disturbance. Regain control immediately."

The sergeant hefted his rifle blaster in front of his chest and led his squad in double-time to the courtyard. "Secure the courtyard."

The troops spread out across the area, pushing the civilians back with the barrel of their still-hot blasters.

"Nooo!"

The sergeant jerked his head around when a figure pushed him out of the way. "You'll be sorry—"

Lord Vader cut his words off as the hulking figure pushed past him, heading toward the accident site.

Beru raced into the street, pushing past all in her way. When she reached the site, stormtroopers had already taken the driver into custody.

The man mumbled as the stormtroopers yanked him from his speeder. "He just ran into the street. There was no time to stop. Please, it was an accident."

With her chestnut hair escaping her bun, the woman knelt down before Luke. She gasped when she saw the blood streaming from his head. She checked for breathing and pulse.

His respirations were rapid and shallow. His pulse weak and faint. His arm stuck out a weird angle, and his chest was compressed.

"Owen! Owen! It's Luke!"

A shadow occluded the sun as Beru pressed her bare hand to the head wound, trying to stem the bleeding.

"Owen, get a healer. Quick! He's not going to make it. Luke. Oh, Luke!"

She held the boy tight to her chest. She jumped at the sound of mechanical breathing behind her.

A deep voice uttered, "Captain, get me a medical crew here, right away."

Beru rotated her head with hesitation. She crouched back in fear. "Don't touch him. Do whatever you want to me, but you can't have him." Beru turned back to the boy, placing her body between Luke and the Sith Lord.

Vader stiffened. _Beru. But who is this boy? Why do I feel a_ _._ _._ _. connec—no, more than that._

The dark lord knelt down next to her, using his cape to quell the bleeding from the boy's arm. Vader looked at the boy through his red lenses. _The eyes. Those eyes are_ mine _._

Owen broke past the stormtroopers who were now guarding the door to the headquarters, but they detained him before he reached Vader. "Let go of me. That's my son. Let go of me." With a final shrug, Owen broke free and ran toward Vader.

Vader turned just as Owen reached him. The Sith Lord grabbed him by his neck with the Force and lifted Owen above him. "You." Something within Vader caused him to look back at the boy, and then to both Owen and Beru. "You lie. He is not your son."

Owen grunted as Vader's grip tightened on his throat. "We adopted him, my lord—war orphan."

The medical team arrived, pushing Beru out of the way. They waited for permission to approach while Lord Vader dealt with his newest victim.

Beru grabbed Vader's arm. "My lord, please, we meant no harm. Please, we're just simple farmers, loyal subjects of the Emperor."

Vader shrugged off the arm and slackened his grip on Owen as he lowered him to the ground. He focused his red lenses on the small woman. "Beru."

She pulled back in fear. "I'm sorry, my lord, but have we met before?"

"In another lifetime."

Owen tried to speak, but Vader pressed his throat again. "Silence. You may speak when bidden and not before."

Vader gazed at the medical team as they loaded the boy onto a stretcher.

The lead medic asked, "What is your bidding, Lord Vader?"

"See that the boy gets the best medical care." Vader squeezed his right hand. "He must not die."

The medic gulped. "I don't have adequate facilities on this planet, my lord."

"Take him to my ship. I will join you soon." Vader released Owen from his death grip.

Owen struggled for air, rubbing his neck.

Beru gasped, trying to move toward Luke.

"Stay here, Beru. Let them work." Vader's voice softened, cutting through her fear. "Tell me about your son."

Beru looked at the dark mask, as Vader read her soul. Under that intense scrutiny she said, "He's not really my son. He's the son of my husband's brother."

Vader's mechanical breathing grew heavier, and the lights on his chest flashed. "What is the boy's name?"

"Luke . .á."

Vader looked at her, tilting his helmet down, leaning toward her.

Beru edged back in fear. "Luke _Skywalker_ , my lord." Tears streamed down her cheeks as soon as she had uttered his last name.

"Skywalker?" Vader tilted his head, his posture relaxing. "The son of _Anakin_ Skywalker?"

"Yes, my lord."

Vader marched past her, heading toward the shuttle that carried the boy.

Beru raced to her husband, falling into his arms. "I'm sorry, Owen. I'm sorry. We've failed him. Our son is dead."


	5. Chapter 4 - The Beast

**CHAPTER 4—THE BEAST**

Vader marched from the troop transport as the loading ramp lowered. His shuttle had already launched with the injured boy before the dark lord could join him. The last few moments on the transport stretched all his patience.

Lieutenant Piett approached him in the docking bay aboard the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_. From all outward appearances, he resembled one of the many boot-licking Coruscanti officers that dominated the Imperial fleet. Tall and fit with an air of competency, his short brown hair cut to regulations, his face molded to an emotionless canvas, Piett met or exceeded the ideal standards of an Imperial officer.

To rise in the ranks, each officer had to sell his soul and work deals with the Imperial Senators to obtain a commission. With such a selection process , a menagerie of fawning sycophants swelled the cadre. But there were a few talented officers, still. Many had already risen in ranks: Tarkin, Thrawn, Krennic. But this man Piett would exceed them all once he matured and given the right opportunities.

Very early in his career, Piett had learned how best to avoid Lord Vader's wrath, and that was never to report bad news as bad news. With his exact attention to this policy, Vader hoped the man would survive long enough to reach admiral.

"Lord Vader." The lieutenant tipped his head in a slight bow as required by Imperial protocol.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Vader turned to the officer on his left.

"The boy." Sweat glistened on the man's forehead at the brim of his cap. "He has no identity."

"What do you mean? He must be in the Imperial databases." Vader towered over the man, causing him to shrink back.

The lieutenant pressed his datapad and then swiped a few times. He held the datapad to the Sith Lord. "There is no record of his birth. However, we have determined his parentage based on his DNA sample—"

Vader turned on Piett, waving the datapad away from his face. "Destroy those records, Lieutenant. No one else is to know who he is."

Piett swallowed. A nervous tick began near his eye. "Yes, my lord."

Vader strode off, leaving his attaché in his wake.

* * *

When Vader reached the medical bay, he found a Two-One Bee medical droid and two doctors attending to the boy. The Sith Lord stood outside, observing the procedures through the observation window. The droid did not waver, but both doctors shuddered when the dark lord's silhouette appeared on the bulkhead.

After many hours, the team transferred the boy to a recovery room. Vader followed them, his heavy steps and mechanical breathing announcing his presence immediately.

"Will he live?" The Sith Lord toward over him, threatening.

The lead medic said with a tremble, "Yes, my lord."

"Very well, you will live today, too, doctor."

Both doctors in the room breathed a sigh.

"Leave us."

The medical officers hurried from the room, closing the hatch behind them.

Vader knelt down, his mechanical knees thumping the deck with a loud thud beside the bed.

The boy lay unconscious. Whether from the drugs or his injuries, Vader did not know.

Bandages covered the boy's brow and stitches trailed down his cheek. It would be a few days before the boy could endure a Bacta tank. _I just hope the scars fade._

Vader grabbed the boy's right hand with his own gloved right hand, gently squeezing it, wishing his flesh could touch his son's flesh. Not for the first time, he wished he had his own hands, his own legs, his own everything. _Padmé, you were right. I wish you could see our son._ Our _son._

He brushed his left hand over the boy's forehead, pushing a reluctant curl above the bandage. The Sith Lord spoke as softly as his respirator and voice module would allow. "Luke. My son. My angel's son."

* * *

Luke's eyes popped open, revealing a monstrous figure in a black mask leaning over his body. The boy jerked from side-to-side, trying to break free. He had no idea where he was or who that creature was. He only knew that just about everything hurt.

"Let me go," he mumbled with slurred words. "Please, let me go. I'll be good. I'll do as I'm told. Please, I want my Aunt Beru." Tears ran down his face.

Vader stroked the boy's head again with his black-gloved prosthetic.

The boy shrunk back in fear. "Please—don't hurt me."

"Shh. I would never hurt you. You're safe now." The man caressed the boy's forehead.

"Safe until you kill me, you mean," Luke said, remembering the fear his aunt and uncle had of him being captured. His eyes grew wide as recognition dawned. _This is Vader. The Sith Lord._ Anger swelled in the boy. All he wanted was revenge for never getting a chance to know his father. "Just like you did my father."

Vader shook his head and corrected with gentleness. "No, I am your father."

"No, that's not true. My daddy is dead. He died during the Clone Wars." _This must be nightmare. I'll wake up at home, Uncle Owen upset with—_

"Lies! They're all lies." Vader shoved the medical cart across the room.

The little boy pulled the covers up to his face, hiding himself from this beast's anger.

"I am so sick of all the lies." Vader paced to Luke, leaning his black mask into the little boy's scared face. The boy's blue eyes grew wide in terror. "Now, you would never lie to me, would you, Son?"

"No, I don't tell lies. I'd get whooped by Uncle Owen if I did." Luke cowered back into the pillow.

"You were hit? My son was hit?" Vader raged, throwing another medical device into the wall.

"No, I deserved it. I was a bad boy." The boy shook with fear. "It wasn't hard."

"When I get my hands on Lars . . ." Vader turned to Luke in anger once again.

"I promise I'll be good. Please don't hurt them. They're my family." Luke's voice cracked in fear.

Vader stiffened in silence.

"You're frightening me. I want my Aunt Beru." Luke cried in terror, his screams piercing through the bulkheads. The boy's medical monitors beeped incessantly as his heart rate increased and the boy hyperventilated in fear.

Vader reached out his hand, dragging a stool with the Force. He sat beside the bed. His voice resumed his hushed tones. "Shh. I'm sorry, Son. I'm sorry. I don't mean to scare you." Vader stroked the boy's hair with his gloved hand.

Luke's breathing and heart rate returned to normal with those words. He could feel the emotions of this man so strongly. Now, he felt love from this man, love stronger than the anger he witnessed moments before, love even stronger than he had ever felt from his Aunt Beru.

He looked at the man, at the lights flashing on his chest plate and at the mask that hid his visage. He pointed at the blinking lights. "Why do you wear that?"

Vader looked down at his son's small hand. The boy's frame was slight for an eight-year-old. While the boy's face and hair resembled a younger Anakin, his build was all Padmé's.

He clasped the boy's hand in his and pressed it to him, letting him feel the plastic armor, the heat of the life-support lights on the chest plate, the tough fabric that encased him. "I fell into lava during a battle on Mustafar eight years ago."

Luke tilted his head, trying to understand. He could feel that this man was not telling him everything, but he was not trying to deceive him intentionally either. _Protect me. That's it. He's trying to protect me_.

"My legs, forearms, and hands are all mechanical."

"Like a droid's?" the boy asked with interest. He moved his hands across the man's arms, feeling where the flesh ended and the mechanics began.

"Yes, like a droid's." The man responded with something that almost sounded like a chuckle. "My lungs were burned and scarred by the hot fumes. The mask allows me to breathe. The chest plate maintains my vital systems. Does my suit scare you?"

"No, but your anger does." The boy reached his hand up, moving his fingers across the molding of the helmet. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm in constant pain, Son." Vader lowered his head so Luke could reach the top. "It hurts to breathe, but at least I'm breathing. It hurts to walk, but at least I'm walking. And pain has a way of focusing the power within."

"I'm sorry, fa . . ." Luke trailed off.

He looked at the man. All his life he had wanted a father, a daddy like the other kids had at Anchorhead. His uncle was a poor replacement. However, Luke was not sure he wanted this . . . beast.

"I can feel your uncertainty, Luke." Vader squared his body in front of the boy. "I _can_ prove that you are my son."

Luke took a deep breath, wondering if he really wanted to know that information. Then he nodded his head "yes."

Vader reached over to the console behind him, activating the communication system. "Lieutenant Piett to the medical bay."

It seemed like only seconds before the hatch opened to reveal a man of average build in the dark uniform of an Imperial line officer holding a datapad in his left hand.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Lieutenant. You are as efficient as always. Shut the hatch."

Piett obeyed perfunctorily and stood ready for more orders.

"Lieutenant Piett, what you are about to learn cannot leave this room. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord." The lieutenant nodded.

"You are aware of this boy's parentage?"

Piett smiled faintly. "Yes, my lord. The blood test results have already been destroyed as you requested."

"Bring in a medical droid. I want them run again."

Piett's mouth opened in surprise.

Vader continued. "Then have its memory erased and the droid reprogrammed from a hard wipe."

"Of course, my lord." The lieutenant punched a few commands into the datapad.

A minute later, a Two-One Bee medical droid rolled through the hatch. The droid spoke in its metallic voice to Luke, "Extend your arm."

Luke obeyed, watching with interest as the droid's appendage withdrew blood from his arm.

In its synthetic voice, the droid asked, "How shall I label this sample?"

Piett looked at Vader for advice. When none came, Piett said, "Sample A. Analyze the blood with the orphan screening program."

The clangorous voice echoed in the small room. "Parentage verified. Mother—Padmé Naberrie Amidala of Naboo, deceased. Father—Anakin Skywalker of Tatooine, also deceased. Midichlorian count in the 99th percentile."

Luke's eyes filled with tears.

Vader saw them. "It shouldn't hurt for too long, Luke."

"No, it's not the pain. I never knew her name. It's so pretty."

Vader's voice modulator malfunctioned with a gurgle. "They didn't even tell you her name?"

Luke shook his head.

Piett beamed at the success of the procedure. "You see, Lord Vader, this is the son of Anakin Skywalker." The lieutenant swiped a few commands on the datapad to delete the data.

"Stop." Vader thrust out his hand. "Not yet. Have the droid take my blood."

Piett's eyes ran over the suited man's form. "My lord, where do you suggest we draw blood?"

"Seal the room and flood it with oxygen, Lieutenant. I will need to remove my mask."

Once the room's oxygen percentage had increased to fifty percent, the dark lord lifted his arms to his helmet and pressed two buttons on the side. The heavy mask clicked and hissed as the seal opened.

Luke looked at the man in wonder. He looked very old, with a pasty complexion and many wounds to his face that had not healed. _How can this man be my father? He's too old. He should be in his third decade not_ _._ _._ _. this._

Bright blue eyes were the only things undamaged on that face. They shined in wonder as they beheld Luke for the first time without the red tint of Vader's mask. A tear streamed down the Sith Lord's cheek as he stared at his son. He held still as the droid swabbed blood from one of his open wounds on his head.

Once Vader had replaced his mask, he said, "Compare my sample with the boy's."

"Parentage verified. Mother: Padmé Naberrie Amidala of Naboo, deceased Father: Darth Vader, Sith Lord."

"That's impossible. Take fresh samples and re-run the results." Piett rubbed the sweat from his brow as he punched new commands into the datapad.

Vader grabbed the droid's arm, holding it still. "That won't be necessary, Lieutenant. The results are correct."

"Then that would make you . . . Anakin Skywalker?"

"That is correct, Lieutenant." Vader pointed at the man. "But that information is not to leave this room. Destroy the records and have this droid's memory erased."

Lieutenant Piett quickly swiped some commands across his datapad.

Vader paced around the small room. "I want the absolute best medical care for this boy. Create an Imperial record for him under the name Luke . . . Naberrie."

Luke could have sworn he heard the respirator catch as Vader said that name.

"And when he is released, transfer him to my quarters." Vader turned to the boy again. "Luke, if there is anything you need, just call me. I will hear you, no matter where I am on the ship. But rest now. Your body needs to heal."

Vader bent over the bed and lowered the face shield of his mask to Luke's forehead. Luke heard what sounded like a kiss from the voice modulator. "I love you, Son."

Luke _felt_ the love from his father. The words were not necessary. Yes, Luke wanted this beast, because this beast loved him, and he loved this beast. And this beast was his father.


	6. Chapter 5 - Bureaucrats and Starpilots

**CHAPTER 5—BUREAUCRATS AND STARPILOTS**

Beru Lars waited at the Imperial Headquarters in Mos Eisley. After selling her hydroponic produce at the Rodian grocer, she had woven her way through the dangerous city.

Fewer stormtroopers, fewer landspeeders, and fewer people in the streets today. The city cowered under martial law. Citizens hurried from alcove to alcove, keeping their faces covered with their cloaks. No one wanted to attract unnecessary Imperial attention after the massacre.

The news had even spread to Anchorhead. All of the Tusken Raiders had been rooted out and slaughtered like animals, under the decree of Darth Vader.

Life had been hard under the Hutts. Now, life was uncertain. No one knew what would happen if the planet created any more problems for the Sith Lord. Everyone worried whether the Empire would order the planet razed.

Beru worried that the same Sith Lord who had ordered this massacre had also taken Luke. It had been eight days since Empire Day, eight days of worry and little sleep.

After queueing for two hours, she finally reached a bureaucrat at a desk in the basement of the building.

"State your name and your business."

"Beru Lars, inquiring about my nephew who was taken into custody a few days ago." She took a credit chip out of her utility bag and pressed it into the man's hands.

The clerk palmed the bribe with a grin. "Imperial policy does permit visitors to prisoners, ma'am."

Beru leaned on the desk, her brow furrowed with worry. "He's not a prisoner. He was injured. Lord Vader called in a medical crew and took the boy to his ship. Look, I just want to know if my nephew is alive or dead."

The clerk looked up at Beru, irritated. "What is his name?"

"Luke. Luke Skywalker." Beru whispered the last name.

"Skywalker. Skywalker. Any relation to the Clone Wars General?" The clerk typed the name into his data console.

"I'm not sure." She had vowed after Luke was taken that she would do anything to save his life, including lie or steal. She hoped she would not have to kill, but she had not ruled out that possibility.

"Well, I don't have any record of a Luke Skywalker. Is it possible he had a different name at birth?"

Beru wrung her fingers, glancing around the room for eavesdroppers. "No, that's his name. Can you check under Luke Lars? The census clerk may have been confused, since our last name is different."

The clerk wiped the sweat off his brow. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It appears this boy doesn't exist."

Beru stumbled back, letting those words sink in. She had heard him just the night before in her dreams, calling her. It was so real. _He must be alive._

Beru dared to ask one more question. "How do I communicate with Lord Vader?"

"Lord Vader does not communicate with civilians, ma'am."

"Then tell me which officer could send him a message for me."

The clerk pushed a button under his counter. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm sorry about your nephew, but there's nothing I can do."

Beru turned to see two stormtroopers behind her, aiming their blasters at her. The woman grabbed her bag and turned to exit. "You have not heard the last of this. When Lord Vader finds out that you prevented me from communicating with him, I will be sure to mention your name."

The stormtroopers pushed her out the door onto the street and into the suffocating heat of Mos Eisley.

* * *

It had been eight days now—eight days of nightmares when he slept, eight days of pain when he was awake, eight days of boredom. This med bay chamber trapped his yearning spirit, just as if he were imprisoned in a brig.

His father, whom he was required to call "Lord Vader" in public, spent a few hours with him daily. However, the Sith Lord had his own duties that kept him away for long hours at a time.

Some days he would visit Luke, happy to see him. Other days, the man was in a foul mood. Vader would never tell Luke what was bothering him, but the boy could feel conflict burning within him.

After the second day of Vader's foul mood and even more equipment destroyed in his room, Luke challenged himself to make his father laugh. He had heard it once, just barely, on that first day. If his father could find the joy in life again, things could be better for them all. Maybe, one day, they could all go back to Tatooine and live on the farm.

The young boy longed to see his aunt, to have her hold him, to have her chase away his nightmares. He had woken himself up screaming her name the last few nights, only to find his father in his room.

Tonight, Luke had woken himself up again. He was drenched in sweat and shaking. The hatch burst open, admitting his father. A medic followed him in.

"Lord Vader, there is no need to disturb yourself. The boy's just had a nightmare. It's the result of his head injury." The medic adjusted the intravenous drip in Luke's arm. He took out a hypodermic needle to add the sedative to the boy's drip bag.

"No, no sedatives. Is this what you've been giving the boy?" Vader grabbed the device and crushed it. "No wonder he's screaming every night. Have you not read his chart, doctor? You don't give sedatives to someone with that high of a midichlorian count. You're fortunate I haven't started training him yet, or he could have destroyed this entire sector."

"My lord, the boy must get his rest. We start Bacta treatments tomorrow. You know the risks if he loses consciousness in the tank."

Vader turned on the doctor and leaned over him. "Leave us. Now. And no more sedatives."

"Yes, Lord Vader." He exited immediately, leaving the crushed medical instruments on the floor.

Vader waved his hand, shutting the hatch with the Force. He sat on the edge of the bed with Luke.

The boy looked up at his hulking father. "You could feel my dream, couldn't you, Daddy?"

"Yes, Son. I feel everything. We are connected through the Force as well as blood." Vader smoothed Luke's sweaty hair. "Tomorrow, they are going to start a special treatment on you. I'll stay with you the whole time."

"What type of treatment?"

"You'll be in a tank of liquid for a few hours. You'll have an oxygen mask to help you breathe."

"Like yours?" Luke touched his father's helmet, running his fingers around the contours. The mask always fascinated him.

"No, smaller, and just over your mouth. The liquid is very special. It will heal your wounds. You should be entirely healed in a few days, now that the bones have knit in your arm." He rested his hand on Luke's left arm.

"Wish we had that bone knitter back at the homestead. Took weeks for my leg to heal a few years ago."

"How did you break your leg?"

"Scrambling down a rocky cliff, chasing a droid. Lost my grip and fell a few meters. Uncle Owen was close. Boy, he was sure angry." Luke smirked at his father. "Had to take me into Anchorhead for a healer. I cost him a lot of money that season, money we didn't have."

Vader hung his head. Luke could not read his facial expressions through his mask, but he could feel his father thinking. He felt his father's anger swell.

"You are the son of royalty, and you were forced to live on Tatooine, as what, an indentured servant to your uncle, who couldn't even afford proper medical care?"

"Daddy, it's okay. I like it there."

"But don't you hate the sand?"

"Oh, sure, it's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere. But Aunt Beru makes everything all right. And there's nothing like watching the sunset as the two suns paint the desert orange. It's beautiful."

Luke felt his father's longing for the sunsets. The boy could see the suns shining through their connection.

"You're right. The Tatooine sunsets are beautiful. But is that all you want to do when you're older, stay on Tatooine and be a farmer?"

The boy looked up at the mask, his eyes crinkling with glee. "No, I want to fly, be a fighter pilot, or even a pod racer! Uncle Owen was going to take me to the pod races at Mos Espa on Empire Day, but then we had to go to that stupid census."

Vader shuddered. "There is no way you will race pods. Is that understood, Luke? It's too dangerous. Those pilots play for keeps."

"Yes, Daddy." Luke slumped in his bed with a pout. "But how about a fighter pilot?"

"Maybe."

Luke's eyes lit up.

"I'll teach you."

"You can fly?"

"I will have you know I am the best starpilot in the galaxy, and I've even raced pods." Vader pulled himself to his fullest stature.

The boy's eyes widened at that boast. He could feel the pride in his father, the pleasure as he remembered his younger days. "Tell me a story, Daddy."

Vader breathed a few cycles and chuckled. "Once upon a time there was a little Togruta named Snips and her best friend named Skyguy, who was also the best starpilot in the galaxy."

Luke smiled when he heard his father laugh.


	7. Chapter 6 - Bacta Treatments & Star Dest

**CHAPTER 6—BACTA TREATMENTS AND STAR DESTROYERS**

Lord Vader observed the crane lowering the young boy into the five-meter tall Bacta tank.

Luke's eyes widened, but the boy remained still as he had been instructed. Dressed only in a pair of white shorts with a breathing regulator in his mouth, he gasped at first contact with the fluid. The viscous solution swirled around him.

When the fluid reach his neck, the boy's bio monitors beeped with tachycardia and hyperventilation. Luke struggled, twisting back and forth in the liquid as it enveloped his face.

As the boy panicked, the regulator detached from his mouth, floating loosely in the tank. He swallowed some of the fluid into his lungs, his face turning blue with asphyxiation.

Lord Vader commanded, "Pull him out. Pull him out. He's drowning."

The technicians reversed the crane and pulled the regulator out of the way. As they began to reset the young man in the harness, the boy wiggled.

"Settle down." The technician held the regulator. "We need to put the regulator back in."

"Please. Let me catch my breath," the boy sputtered, coughing some fluid out of his throat.

The technician on the other side grabbed the boy from behind and yanked up and in on the boy's abdomen. The fluid spewed out of Luke's mouth with each pull.

The dark form of Darth Vader loomed next to them. Without the technicians noticing, the dark lord had instantly pulled himself over to the Bacta tank. "The regulator will breathe for you, like it does for me. There is no need to be afraid."

Luke looked at the helmet of his father, nodding his acceptance. The blond boy turned to the regulator technician, opening his mouth for the device.

This time, they submerged him for an entire minute before he panicked. They pulled him just as quickly.

"This isn't working, Lord Vader." The second technician.

Vader sighed. "Luke, I need you to be at peace. Find the center within you and just go there. Concentrate on nothing except the Force within you."

It had been so very long since Vader had been able to do this himself. He wondered if he remembered how. Not since the breathing regulator had taken over his respirations had he been able to take a cleansing breath in the suit. He tried to override its rhythm now in order to teach his son.

Luke tilted his head and opened his mouth slightly. After a few seconds, he said, "I can't do it. I don't know how."

"It's not too hard. Just breathe."

The young boy continued his rapid breathing until Vader corrected. "Not that way. Long inhale. Hold it. Long exhale. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Continue. Close your eyes. Focus on the burning light within you, Luke. That is the Force. Just focus on that."

Vader nodded to the technician with the regulator to reset the device into Luke's mouth.

The boy continued his breathing exercises, the regulator adjusting to his pattern, as the technicians lowered him once again into the Bacta healing fluid.

* * *

The warm tingling felt different this time. Luke felt as if a million fingers were massaging his skin. Where the skin was damaged, he felt it heal—from pain, to itch, to puffy new skin growing in less than a few minutes. Due to the sensory deprivation effect of the tank, he was not sure how long he remained in the viscous fluid—hours at least.

When they finally pulled the boy out, his father was still there. He had not moved since Luke had entered the tank so many hours before. The boy's flesh was entirely healed, without even a scar left. Now, he could run and play without risking infection or further damage. Now, Vader could train him.

* * *

The next day, Luke and his father roamed the star destroyer. Vader adjusted his long stride to match that of his small son's. The Bacta treatment had healed the flesh wounds, staving off infection and scarring.

Now, his father led Luke to his new quarters. For the first time he would not be confined to the medical bay. He was amazed as he passed through the massive ship. Everything was new to him—the construction, the droids, and even the people.

After walking what seemed like two full kilometers, Lord Vader stopped in front of a set of blastdoors. He waved his hand over the control panel set in the wall to the right of the doors, and the doors slid open diagonally.

"Please, enter." He gestured to Luke with his left hand. Once they were inside, Vader shut the hatch again.

 _Wonder if I'm allowed to leave when I want. Or is this my new prison?_

As if he could read his thoughts, Vader said, "Do not think of this as a prison, Son. There will be times I will require you to remain in here, but it will always be for your own safety. This is a star destroyer—a war machine. If you hear the announcement for general quarters or battle stations, I want you in here."

"Yes, Father." Luke gazed around his new home. A small foyer held a workstation and large desk chair. A shelving unit built into the wall behind the desk held old-fashioned books and holocrons.

Another hatch stood open behind it, leading to a sleeping chamber. Luke progressed into the room, finding a large bunk against the aft bulkhead with built-in cabinets around it. The bunk was unmade, displaying only a utilitarian mattress.

A large rectangular viewport spanned from deck to ceiling on the port-side wall, revealing the vast starscape of space.

The curvature of Tatooine appeared in the lower part of the window. Luke could see the line delineating night and day on the planet. When he looked out into the distance, he saw two of the three moons of Tatooine: Guernessa and Chenini. Luke assumed that the third moon, Ghomrassen, must be on the other side of the orbit.

Luke stared out into the starscape, hearing the regulated breathing of his father standing behind him. "It's so peaceful, Daddy, so beautiful."

"Yes, it is."

The boy could have sworn his father was smiling under that mask, at least that is what he felt through the Force.

"There is nothing better than staring out at space imagining how we can make this galaxy a better place for all." Vader settled his hands on the back of his son's shoulders.

While the mechanical hands were heavier than Uncle Owen's fleshly ones, the boy felt the love and hope of his father pass through his hands.

Luke, however, was an eight-year-old boy, and standing still for long amounts of time was not in his nature. "Where do I sleep?"

"The bed, of course. I have a special chamber due to my injuries where I take my rest. While this is my chamber, I rarely use it. Consider it yours."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Now, since it is your first day out of sick bay, how about a tour of my ship?"

"Yes! But . . ."

Vader turned to his son, kneeling down to his level so that he could look Luke in the eyes. "What is it, Son? I promise if it is in my power to do so, I will give you whatever you need."

"Could we go see Aunt Beru after it? She's probably really worried . . . and I miss her, Daddy," Luke said with tears glistening in his eyes.

"Of course. And after that, I'd like to take in the pod races at Mos Espa, if that's all right with you."

"Pod races? Wow!"


	8. Chapter 7 - Showdown

**CHAPTER 7—SHOWDOWN**

"What is he doing here?" Owen Lars stumbled down the stairs to the dining area. He pointed a strong finger at Ben Kenobi, who was dressed in a desert caftan covered with a Jedi robe.

Kenobi's brown hair now sported flecks of gray, and his face bore wrinkles from the desert sun and the stresses of the Clone Wars. He did not move but held himself in a peaceful repose.

Beru said, "I invited him, Owen. Please, he's our only hope in getting Luke back."

"Luke's dead." Owen turned his back to his wife, looking for some water to quench his thirst and hiding the tears that welled up in his eyes.

Their visitor finally interrupted with his soothing voice. "No, he isn't. I would have felt it, Owen."

The stocky farmer pivoted to the Jedi Master and thrust his glass at the man. "Whatever you want to believe is fine, you crazy old wizard, but you will not stir up false hope in my grieving wife." He leaned on the table, threatening the man.

Beru stood up and placed a comforting hand on her husband's chest. "But what if he's right, Owen? What if Luke is still alive? I can't bear to think of him wasting away in an Imperial prison all his life. Please, Owen."

Lars lowered himself into a chair beside his wife. He placed one of his large, rough hands on hers. "Beru, this isn't good for you. You need to let Luke go. He's gone now. There's no way he survived that accident."

"I know he's alive, Owen. I've heard him calling out for me. I know he's alive." Tears fell down her face.

Owen turned on Kenobi, pointing a finger at him. "This is all your fault. I warned you when you first brought Luke to us that something like this would happen."

The Jedi Master closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. After a long moment, he looked Owen in the eyes. "I'm so sorry, Owen. I never foresaw this happening. The dark side has clouded the future for many years now. I would have prevented it had I known."

Lars settled back with a huff.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We were at the census in Mos Eisley. They were taking our retinal scans, fingerprints, and blood samples, when Luke sneaked out of the building and ran straight into an oncoming speeder." Owen's voice held no hope.

Beru whimpered as Owen recounted the scene. She took a tissue from her sleeve to blow her nose and wipe her eyes.

With emotion sneaking into his voice, Owen said, "When we got there, we found him mangled."

"What happened next?"

Owen glared at the Jedi. "An Imperial officer showed up and ordered a medical team. They took Luke up to the star destroyer. We haven't seen him since."

"It wasn't just any officer, Ben. It was Lord Vader." Beru's words were barely discernible through her sobs.

"Vader?" The Jedi leaned forward.

"Yes, and when he accused Owen of lying about our being Luke's parents, I had to tell him the truth. When he found out Luke was Skywalker's son, he stormed off, chasing after the boy. Oh, it's all my fault! I should have lied until I died. My poor—"

The homestead shook, sand blowing in through the open doorway and thunder rumbling through the dwelling. They all ran into the courtyard. The outline of an Imperial shuttle hovered above the homestead's outer walls, disturbing their peaceful evening.

The appearance of Vader at the entrance sent dread into each heart. His immense, black form stood out against the starkness of the thick, white walls of the building.

Kenobi challenged, "Vader."

A small figure ran around Vader, straight into the startled arms of Beru. "Aunt Beru! Aunt Beru!"

Beru held onto him, crying at his return. "Oh, Luke, you're alive." She kissed him on his cheeks and pulled him tight to her chest.

"I've missed you, Aunt Beru" was all Luke could say before the rumble of Darth Vader cut him off.

His aunt bent down, kissing the small boy on his cheek, stroking his tousled hair. She examined his arm and his head, finding no signs of his injuries.

"Obi-Wan, I should have expected to find you here." Vader rested his hands on his hips. "It's time for me to finish what I started eight years ago." The Sith Lord ignited his lightsaber, the red blade casting an eerie glow on the white stucco walls in the desert twilight.

Beru dragged Luke back against a wall. Owen moved in front of them both, protecting them and giving the two men space.

"I will not fight you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "and you will be forced to kill me."

Vader advanced on the Jedi. "If that is your destiny."

Beru and Owen gasped when they heard the name Kenobi had called Vader. Beru pulled Luke back even further away.

The boy struggled to break free from his aunt's grasp to see past the hulking figure of his uncle. Beru grabbed him tighter, refusing to let him go.

Luke watched the shadow of his father advance on the defenseless man, his friend Ben. "No!" He screamed as Vader raised his lightsaber above his head, slicing it at Obi-Wan's head.

The Jedi Master brought both his sabers from his belt, blocking the swipe just in time as he held the dual blue blades in an X above his head. The blades clashed against each other. The sound waves reverberated off the smooth walls of the courtyard, deafening the spectators. "It doesn't have to be this way, Anakin."

"That name no longer has any meaning for me." Vader stepped backward, withdrawing his blade, circling the other man.

Obi-Wan held both of his blades low at his sides, waiting for the Sith Lord to strike again.

"You are unwise to lower your defenses." Vader struck at his opponent again, down and then up, quickly to the left, and then behind his head. "If you will not fight, then you will be destroyed."

Luke's eyes were glued to the mesmerizing patterns—the speed, the control, and the _power_.

The two continued to swing their sabers, grunting and moaning, but neither made any viable progress for three long minutes. Then, as Obi-Wan brought his right saber up from behind his back in a downward vertical swipe, he slid his left saber parallel to the ground at Vader's legs.

The Sith Lord met both blades in one motion, slicing them apart. He had hit Obi-Wan's left blade so powerfully that it went flying across the courtyard toward Luke and his aunt and uncle.

The boy ducked to the right as Owen pulled his family to the side a few meters to avoid the flying blade. It hit the stucco wall, leaving a scorch mark across it.

The hilt of the blade bounced off the wall, falling to the hard-packed sand of the courtyard with a thud.

Vader kicked Obi-Wan to the ground. The Sith towered above the prostrate Jedi, holding his red blade to Kenobi's throat. "I am the master now."

"Only a master of evil." Obi-Wan swung his blue blade up, knocking the red blade away from his neck. As Vader regrouped, Obi-Wan jumped up, somersaulting into a defensive position on the other side of the dark figure.

"Impressive. Most impressive." Vader attacked the man again.

This time, Obi-Wan raised his blade before Vader could reach his full connection apex at shoulder level. Kenobi used the momentum to propel himself over Vader in a somersault, landing behind him and striking a parallel swipe at his chest.

Vader pivoted and blocked the move, but not before Obi-Wan held out his hand, pushing the large man to the ground with the Force.

"Enough, Anakin. I never wanted to kill you." Obi-Wan extinguished his saber. He sucked in large breaths, hunching over as the effects of the battle pummeled him.

He held out his right hand toward Vader. "I feel the good in you, the conflict. Join me, and we can destroy the Emperor and bring peace to the galaxy."

The Sith Lord breathed heavily through his respirator, his body stiffening at the proposal.

"Do it for your son."

Vader slowly stood, extinguishing his blade.

"Please, Padmé would have wanted this, Anakin."

At the name of his dead wife, Vader reignited his saber and attacked Obi-Wan again with quick swipes. While the prosthetics may have reduced his speed, Vader was still _the_ master of the _Djem So_ form of saber battle.

"How dare you mention her name." Vader pressed Obi-Wan into the wall near Luke and the Lars. "You betrayed me. You both betrayed me." The red blade pressed the Jedi against the stucco wall.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. She never betrayed you. She loved you, Anakin. _You_ broke her heart."

"Liar!" Vader shoved his helmet next to Obi-Wan's face. "I am sick of the lies, old man. You hid my son from me, and you seduced my wife." The dark lord held him there for a long moment, only the sound of the blades and his ventilator resounding in the courtyard.

"How did she die? How did my angel die?" Vader's voice softened on the last question. "If you lie, that will be the last word that you speak, Obi-Wan." The dark lord clenched his Force fingers around the Jedi's throat.

Kenobi gulped. "She died in childbirth." Obi-Wan's eyes stared at the blade held at his throat.

"What else? You are holding something back. I can sense it." Vader moved the blade a centimeter closer to the man's neck.

"Daddy! No!" Luke broke free of his aunt's grasp. The young boy grabbed his father's right leg and cloak from behind. "Please, Daddy. He told the truth. Ben's my friend. Don't kill him."

Vader's helmet turned to his son. The boy stood on his boot, pulling at his cloak. His trousers glistened with his son's tears.

The Sith Lord extinguished his saber and stepped away from Kenobi. He stretched forth his hand to retrieve Kenobi's discarded saber. As he clutched it in his grip, Vader recognized it. "This lightsaber is mine. I am taking it with me, and everything else that belongs to me. Luke, get your things. We are leaving."

"Yes, Father." He hurried up the stairs to his room.

As Vader strode across the courtyard, Obi-Wan pleaded, "Anakin."

"It is too late for me, Obi-Wan. You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master." Vader exited the courtyard, leaving Obi-Wan and the Lars family to stare after him.

With a light-brown pack slung over his back on a broken Bantha-hide strap, Luke raced down the stone stairs set into the stucco wall, heading straight for his aunt and uncle.

Beru bent down and took him in her arms, kissing him on the forehead and embracing him.

"Will I ever see you again, Auntie?"

"I hope so. I certainly hope so. You will always be in my heart, Luke, and this place will always be your home." Beru kissed him again.

Owen placed his hand on his nephew's back. "Luke, I've taught you the difference between right and wrong. Promise me you will always do the right thing."

"I will, Uncle. I promise." Luke's eyes shined through his tears.

Obi-Wan spoke at last. "Thank you, Luke. You saved my life today. You have a powerful influence on your father. Use it. I know there is still good in him."

"I will." Luke exited the homestead.

"May the Force be with you."

Owen muttered, "That boy is our last hope."

Obi-Wan said, "No, there is another."

* * *

Luke hurried onto the shuttle, dumping his pack into one of the jump seats of the main cabin. "Daddy! Daddy!" However, Vader was not on the shuttle. Afraid that his father might have returned to kill Ben, Luke ran off the shuttle.

In the dim twilight of the desert sky, he saw a silhouette kneeling on the ground about a hundred meters away in the desert. He stopped, unsure whether he should proceed.

His father's grief overwhelmed the boy. He had to go to him.

Luke quietly approached the dark figure who knelt on the desert sand with his black cape swirling behind him in the evening breeze. Vader stared at the first moon as it rose.

The boy could barely hear the words, but he could not escape the sorrow.

"Mother, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've been back. Not a day has passed that I haven't thought of you." Silence passed as Vader waited for a response. "Mother, I need you. I don't know how to do this. I thought I would never get over the pain of losing you, and then I lost Padmé. And I am so afraid I'm going to lose Luke, too. I can't let Palpatine take him. How do I change?"

Luke stepped next to his father, grasping his arms around Vader's left bicep. Luke whispered, "I'll help you, Daddy." Then Luke kissed the side of Vader's helmet.


	9. Chapter 8 - Pod Races

**CHAPTER 8—POD RACES**

Beneath his mask, Vader smiled at his son's infectious joy. The Sith Lord's body relaxed for the first time in years, enjoying the presence of his healthy son. He could almost forget that he was Vader.

Luke eyes widened, and his heart thumped with excitement as he fidgeted in the command seat across the aisle from his father on the _Lambda-_ class shuttle. Two Imperial officers piloted the craft headed to the other side of Tatooine—Mos Espa.

With his blond curls bobbing, the boy peered out the large cockpit screen as the shuttle approached the landing pad. He pretended to pull the control to lower the stabilizers and to turn the wheel to level out the ship on approach while the pilots mirrored his motions to land the craft.

Vader dreamed of the day he would take Luke up on his first training spaceflight. _It won't be a shuttle, though. His first spaceflight will be in a fighter. It is his destiny._

* * *

The craft landed outside the Grand Arena of Mos Espa. The arena bracketed the pod race track across the desert canyons and monoliths. The repulsor lifts pumped out excess steam while the ramp lowered.

After landing behind the shuttle, two troop transports deployed stormtroopers to the site. The troops covered all entrances, guarded each section of the stands, and took up positions in the pit.

Lord Vader exited the craft with Luke at his side. The populace crowding the avenue pulled back in fear. The Sith Lord ignored the populace's fear, leading his apprentice and attaché toward the pits.

Luke ducked as a pod sped over his head. "Did it start already? Did we miss it?"

"No, Luke. These are the practice laps. Each driver has the course for two laps without interference." The dark lord watched the pod speed away with longing.

The boy twisted his neck, scanning the area around him as they entered the canyon that formed the pit stops. Pods of all shapes and sizes were parked along the red-rock canyon. Pilots and pit crews inspected the crafts and made tiny adjustments.

The boy stopped at one that had four engines hooked together with crossed cables. He ran his hand on the fuselage of one of the engines, but the pilot cursed him in Huttese.

"Luke." Vader pulled the boy's hand away from the pod. "Sabotage is one of the primary strategies in pod racing. Always wait for an invitation before touching someone else's pod."

"Sorry—oh, wow! What are those?" He pointed to a string of flags that festooned the pit area.

"Those are the pod racing flags of the winners of the Boonta Eve Classic."

Vader breathed a few cycles before turning to Piett. The Sith Lord pointed to a flag with a white background and a sky-blue, diagonal cross on the hoist edge. A golden monogram adorned the upper corner. "Lieutenant, I want that one brought to me immediately."

"Yes, my lord." Piett skittered away to the nearest stormtrooper.

* * *

Vader led Luke through the pit area, stopping at a pod that looked vaguely familiar. A crew of beat-up astromech droids worked on the pod's engines while a small Rodian flicked switches, trying to turn the engines over.

A blue Toydarian hovered around the area, striking the juvenile Rodian on the shoulder with a stick. The insect-like creature cursed in Huttese before continuing his tirade in Galactic Basic. "Challu, if you don't get this fixed right now, you are going to lose your practice laps. If you lose this race, we are ruined. I have barely stayed afloat after your last cra—"

Vader stretched forth his hand, giving the Toydarian a gentle warning squeeze around his neck. "Sa ya do Hodrudda, Watto?" Vader asked in Huttese.

The Toydarian's eyes bulged as he turned his gaze to the Sith Lord. His voice trembled. His wings fluttered. "No, Lord Vader. Nothing to disturb you."

Vader looked at Luke, his eyes upset. He could feel Luke's compassion for this creature. With shame, he felt his son's disgust at his methods.

As Vader released the man, a deep rumbling laugh emanated from behind him. The Sith Lord turned his attention to the source of that laugh, finding a gigantic slug-like Hutt blocking the avenue between the pods.

The large slug boomed, "Conche, Talkdroid."

A silver protocol droid waddled forward. "Yes, your supreme excellency."

The Hutt ordered something in Huttese, to which the protocol droid promptly turned to Lord Vader and said, "The Great Jabba the Hutt—"

Vader raised his hand, silencing the droid. "Noah keata. Achuta, Jabba."

Jabba said in Huttese, "Lord Vader. I am honored by your visit. I hope we can both be reasonable here. I'm sure the Empire would not want an entire system rebelling because of a small . . ." He waved his miniscule hand at the arena. ". . . entertainment venture."

Vader crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I think we can come to a profitable understanding for all involved."

The slug laughed. "And what does the Empire desire?"

"An end to slavery in this system, immediately."

"You ask the impossible. It would destroy our economy."

"It would be a shame if I had to leave a garrison here, permanently. Tatooine would make an excellent maximum-security prison." Vader tilted his head.

"I will issue the decree tomorrow."

Vader stepped forward, clenching an invisible hand around the corpulent slug. "You will issue it today at the end of the race."

The slug's eyes widened, and his large tongue flapped. "Yes, Lord Vader."

Vader released him. "There, I knew we could come to an agreeable solution. Now, if you'll excuse me, my s—apprentice and I would like to view the races from that box. Clear it." The Sith Lord pointed to a circular box on a pole in the middle of the arena with an hydraulic lift.

"Of course, Lord Vader." The slug slithered away from Vader, speaking earnestly to his majordomo, a Twi'lek named Bib Fortuna.

One of the aide's long, green lekku was draped around his neck like a scarf, while the other hung loosely at his back. The man clenched his fingers, his pointed fingernails biting into his palm, as Jabba approached. When he smiled, ravenous teeth brushed his scabrous lips.

Deep in muted conversation, Jabba and Fortuna headed for the grand stand.

Vader turned back to the viewing pod, catching sight of the Toydarian. The bug perched on the top of the engine compartment, poking his gnarled fingers in it while the Rodian boy looked on.

Vader asked the young pilot, "What seems to be the problem?"

The pilot took one look at Vader and another at Watto, shaking as he stood. The blue Rodian's extended lips pulled together, his antenna wiggling in fear. "The power couplings won't transfer fuel. Only one engine is firing."

Watto hit the boy on the back of the head. "Address him as 'my lord,' Challu." The Toydarian turned to Vader. "My apologies. The boy is simple, stupid. You know these Rodians."

"Yes, yes, I do. When I was a boy, my best friend was a Rodian. I find the species to be more intelligent than certain Toydarians."

The Toydarian's eyes grew even bigger as the bug-like creature flew out of reach of the dark lord. He's grunts and moans permeated the air.

Luke tugged at his father's cloak as he stood on his toes, trying to see into the engine compartment.

Vader stepped forward, holding his hand out. "May I? I have some experience with these engines."

The boy looked at Watto. When the blue Toydarian nodded, the Rodian handed him the spanner. "Of course, Lord Vader. Thank you."

Vader poked inside the compartment, lifting wires and pushing tubing around. "Pilex driver and some pinchers. Luke, do you see the problem here?"

The boy jumped up, trying to see inside the compartment. He whined, "I can't see."

Vader waved his hand, lifting the small boy with the Force.

"Yeah, I see it. The line linking the regulator to the power flow's been severed."

"Very good. How do we repair this?"

"Replace the line with a new one."

"And if we don't have a new one?"

Luke scrunched his face together as he thought. "Fuse binding tape over the split and seal it with a heat torch?"

Vader nodded his approval. He grabbed the binding tape that lay on the top of the engine. It did not take long before Vader had repaired the craft and tested it by flicking on the switches with the Force. He lowered Luke to the ground while Challu climbed back into the cockpit.

The left engine sputtered a few times, but by the fourth click of the switch, the engine ignited, its ventral wings flaring.

"Luke, stand back, or you might get sucked into the jet!"

The boy jumped back quickly.

Vader looked at the small Rodian. He took a deep breath before saying the words he had neither heard nor said in over eight years. "May the Force be with you."

"Thank you, Lord Vader." The pilot settled his helmet onto his bulbous head and revved the engines.

Vader pulled Luke back to safety as Challu sped off on his practice rotations. The pod flew through arena, blazing out onto the Starlite Flats, the easiest part of the course typified by flat sand dunes.

Vader led Luke to the spectator pod. They climbed into it quickly and activated the lift with a press of a button.

He grabbed a handheld viewer from the slot in front of him and pulled up the map of the circuit. He showed the boy the route, pointing out the different features and dangers of the course.

"When they first leave the arena, the pilots hit the Starlite Flats. This is a wide area where many with faster pods but less maneuverability try to gain a forward position before the enter the curving canyon that slices through the Waldo Flats, here. This is a dangerous canyon, with walls that narrow to less than a meter of excess room on either side. One wrong jiggle, and you end up splattered against the canyon wall."

"Wow! That would be so cool."

"But also dangerous for the other drivers. If the fireball explodes too close to another driver, it can take out many pods at once. No one wants to see a collision in this stretch."

Luke answered with an open-mouthed "Oh."

"The next stretch is the Mushroom Mesa. The pilots weave around bulbous monoliths, trying to find an advantage. If they get too close to one, or go around on the wrong side of one, they will crash into the stone. Then they drop down this escarpment, the Metta Drop. They have to watch out for changes in air temperature and high winds that can pull a pod out of control. If they make it this far, they then speed across Ebe Crater Valley to the Notch where—"

Luke pointed at the screen and shouted with glee. "That's Beggar's Canyon. I've flown through that. I recognize those houses in the cliffs."

"It's one thing to ride along in a speeder through here, Luke. I can assure it is quite another to race a pod through it."

"No, I flew the Skyhopper through it. The wind gusts were frightening!"

"Your uncle let you fly a Skyhopper through that?"

Luke smiled in mischief. "I didn't say he _let_ me. I just didn't tell him where I was going."

Vader shook his head at his son and rumpled his hair before showing Luke the Arch Canyon. "The course continues—"

A fanfare from the orchestral balcony cut off Vader's words. Luke and Vader turned their heads to the royal box where Jabba slid forward under the prime arch. "Chowbaso! Bis doe chawa!"

The engines fired up as the flags of the different racers paraded past the mob of pods.

"It's starting! It's starting!" Luke grabbed onto his father's arm. He hopped, trying to see over the rim of the box.

The dark lord grabbed his small son in his arms and lifted him onto his shoulders.

Luke grabbed the top of his helmet. "Whoa! We're so far up. This is awesome."

Jabba bit the head off a frog and spit it at a metal gong, starting the race. The racers headed off, causing Luke to bounce up-and-down on his father's shoulders and pound on the top of his helmet.

"Luke." Vader grabbed the boy's hand firmly. "Not on the helmet."

"Sorry, Daddy! Look, Challu's closing in on that red one."

Vader lifted the view screen so that they could both watch the video feed captured by the multiple drones positioned throughout the course. "There they go into the canyon."

Luke strained his neck down, watching the screen. "Ooh! That was bad." One of the pods ran into the side of the canyon, taking out another pod as well. A fireball flared, scorching the wall and a few trailing pods.

"And that's why you will never race pods." Vader's voice rumbled his disapproval.

"But I see right before things happen. I could avoid it."

Vader growled at that remark.

"Okay, no pods." He rested his head on the top of his father's helmet and clutched his hands around his father's forehead.

For Vader, there was nothing like this feeling—having a son sitting on his shoulders watching the races with him—two of his three passions. If only Padmé were here with them, everything would be right.


	10. Chapter 9 - Finishing What I Began

**CHAPTER 9—FINISHING WHAT I BEGAN**

Challu came in fourth, a good showing for his second race. Watto zoomed to his pilot, cursing the young Rodian in Huttese and throwing tools at him.

After removing Luke from his shoulders, Darth Vader turned his gaze on the grand balcony and nodded at Jabba.

The Hutt mobster proclaimed over a loudspeaker in Huttese. "Silence. Silence."

The crowd settled down in response to the booming voice over the loudspeaker.

"The Galactic Empire has honored us with a Grand Visitor, the Sith Lord Darth Vader."

The audience took in a deep breath, almost together.

"Our illustrious guest has offered us two choices—release our slaves—"

The audience booed and threw detritus at Jabba's balcony.

"—or Tatooine will become a maximum-security Imperial prison, with all Imperial laws enforced."

The crowd's eyes turned as one upon Darth Vader in the raised box.

He crossed his arms as stormtroopers moved into position around the arena and aimed their blasters at the crowd. Vader raised his vocalizer volume to the maximum. "Which is it going to be? Release your slaves or become slaves for the Empire yourselves?"

Jabba looked at the crowd with guarded eyes, unsure of which way to proceed. His son Rotta lounged a few meters behind him.

Bib Fortuna whispered in Jabba's ear. "Release the slaves, Master. Once the Imperials have left, we can capture them again."

Jabba chortled. "The slaves are free."

Vader nodded his approval. "Wise decision, Your Excellency. I will be leaving a garrison to ensure that every slave receives his chip controller and that the situation does not alter once I leave this system."

The giant slug spluttered drool across his vast belly.

"Jabba, you seemed surprised. Is not this the same thing you would do in my position? I learned years ago never to trust a Hutt."

Vader pressed a button to lower the viewing pod to the sandy arena floor.

Lieutenant Piett waited for them at the base of the platform. The officer held the folded flag in his arms. He offered it to Lord Vader as soon as he exited the booth.

Vader took it, holding it briefly before handing it to Luke. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"My pleasure, Lord Vader."

Luke grinned. "Oh, cool, my very own pod racing flag. One day when I race pods, I'm going to use it for my ensign."

Vader breathed harshly, his respirator straining. "You are never racing pods, and that's final."

Luke glared at his father, rebellion leaking through his Force-bond.

Vader growled at the boy and placed his large hand on his son's shoulder in warning.

The boy quickly replied, "Yes, F—Lord Vader."

The Sith Lord turned to his aide. "I want every house in the slave quarter checked. Bring down two more legions. If a slave does not have his chip controller, the troops are to arrest the owners. I expect the slave quarters secured by dawn. Am I making myself clear, Lieutenant?"

"Perfectly, Lord Vader." Piett sent orders through his datapad.

As they walked across the sand to the shuttle, Luke asked, "So, if slavery is illegal in the Empire, why are the Wookiees slaves?"

Vader stopped his tracks and turned to Luke. "The Wookiees are not slaves. They are convicts. They incited Rebellion against the Emperor and have been incarcerated. They are earning their keep, as it is very costly to feed a Wookiee."

"I don't think it's any different than slavery down here."

The Sith Lord stiffened. "The Wookiees are housed and fed and even earn credits, which they will be able to withdraw after their sentences. The slaves here have only what their masters give them, which isn't always much."

Luke stared back at the man, stubbornly. Unconvinced, he thrust his lower lip out and crossed his arms.

"I think it's time for a little education, Luke. Life on Tatooine is rough for everyone, but it's miserable for a slave. Come with me." Vader turned on his heel and headed to his boyhood home in the Mos Espa slave quarters.

* * *

When they reached the run-down quarters, Vader shuddered. Sandstorms had blasted the white paint off the stucco. Raw sewage ran through the middle of the streets creating a stench and miasma. Little boys and girls who were playing some game in a corner ran away at the sight of the dark figure.

"It is worse than I remember. How could the Emperor let Tatooine go on for so long like this? My visit is long overdue."

A squad of stormtroopers jogged into the village, the captain deploying them to the different sections.

Vader turned to the leader. "Captain."

The stormtrooper leader double-stepped to his commanding officer. "Lord Vader." He saluted with his white-armored hand.

"I am displeased with the conditions of these quarters. I want a refugee camp set up fifty kilometers away. Feed them. Water them. And then we will blast this vermin-infested slum into oblivion from space."

"Yes, my lord." The captain ran off to give his orders.

"When were you here last, Lord Vader?" Luke asked when his father's form stiffened in anger.

"When I was a boy . . . I lived here." Vader stroked his son's head. "I meant to free all the slaves years ago, but I became . . . distracted. I wonder how many have died because I was too busy."

Luke grabbed his father's right hand, his father's gigantic hand swallowing Luke's tiny hand. "At least you've saved them now—that little girl, that mother." He pointed to the residents as they were evacuated. "Because of you, they now have hope."

Vader licked the tear that made it to his lips under the mask. It tasted salty and yet metallic. _When was the last time I cried over someone else's misery?_


	11. Chapter 10 - The Sith Master

CHAPTER 10—THE SITH MASTER

With his legs sticking straight out in front of him, Darth Vader sat on the floor of his meditation chamber across from his egg-like hyperbaric chamber. Lights recessed in the dark walls emitted just enough candle power to see. Not a wattage of power was wasted. The light gleamed off the polished, black floor.

His son and apprentice Luke Skywalker sat across from him. The boy's young, pliable limbs flexed easily to rest his feet on top of his thighs.

Vader sighed. _Oh, to be young again._

This was Vader's second day training his apprentice, and this was the second day he was surprised. "Very good, Luke. Now, I want you to just breathe and relax. Let the Force flow into you and out of you at will. All I want you to do is feel it."

"Oh!" Luke exclaimed as he felt the Force energize him.

"Silence."

Luke lifted his hand, and the lightsaber on his father's belt started to rise.

"Stop that, Luke. We aren't working on levitation yet." Vader was pleasantly surprised his son had figured out how to levitate without instruction, but there were more important things to learn first. "I want you to build a wall."

"With what? There's nothing here, Father."

"When we are training, you will call me 'my lord' or 'Lord Vader.'"

"I don't understand why—"

Vader raised his hand. "No, there is no why."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good. Now, build a wall in your mind, the strongest that you can create. Use the Force to power it." Vader sighed as he watched his son with his Force-sight. He watched the tendrils of the Force swirl around Luke, flow within him, flow out. He felt Luke's emotions, pain, pressure.

Luke closed his eyes. After a few minutes of intense concentration, he reached out, pulling the Force in, strengthening the wall. More pressure came. He pulled more Force in, building the wall higher.

"Luke, strength—"

The boy screamed, and the wall collapsed.

Vader shook his head from side-to-side. "An adequate start, but not good enough. If you cannot keep me out of your mind, how will you ever keep the Emperor out? He is more powerful than you realize."

"But why would I want to keep you out of my mind, Lord Vader?" Luke's bright eyes sparkled with the innocence of youth. "I have no secrets."

Vader leaned forward and stroked his son on the cheek with affection. "And that is how I hope it will always be. Unfortunately, the Emperor can never know that you are my son, or he will take you from me. Then he will either make you a Sith Lord or destroy you."

Luke gazed into the shining dark helmet with his blue eyes. "But I want to be a Sith, just like you, my lord."

Vader smiled under the helmet, fatherly pride welling up in him. How precious this boy was to him, whom he had only known for under a week. _No, not a Sith_. "You will be a _Jedi_ , like your father before you. Now back to the wa—"

The hatch to the meditation room slid open unexpectedly, revealing the stiff figure of Lieutenant Piett with his ever-present datapad in hand. The officer waited patiently to be acknowledged.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

Piett cleared his throat. "The Emperor has requested communication, my lord."

Vader stood up, his metallic joints creaking. "Very good, Lieutenant. Have Admiral Ozzel move the _Executor_ to the far side of the planet so that we may send a clear transmission."

"Yes, my lord." Piett transmitted the order he had anticipated on his datapad.

Vader stopped him before he exited. "Lieutenant, I will be busy for quite some time. Please escort the boy to my quarters and instruct him in basic mathematics. His current level is unsatisfactory for even basic duties."

"Yes, my lord." Piett turned to Luke. "Come with me, Luke."

The boy stood quickly and turned back to his father. He gave him a winsome smile before leaving with the aide.

Vader smiled underneath his helmet, hoping that the time to move the ship would allow him adequate preparation to hide the truth about Luke from the Emperor.

He disappeared into his hyperbaric chamber. As soon as he was seated on the chair, the upper piece of the chamber lowered, sealing the small room from the ship's atmosphere.

The room flooded with oxygen, bringing the small chamber to one hundred percent pressurized flow. Once the room reached full operation, an arm lowered from the ceiling, clasping onto and removing Vader's helmet.

The dark lord used this chamber for sleeping, eating, and changing of clothing. While in this special chamber, his suit no longer managed his breathing. He was able to take a long breath of meditation, inhaling and exhaling at will. The air still burned on his scarred lungs, but the high percentage of oxygen and the increased air pressure were healing agents by themselves.

His consciousness floated on the tendrils of the Force as he slipped into meditation. The light called to him. He wanted to follow it. But the darkness. He had to hide Luke from Sidious. The darkness. He had to dive into the darkness, or Sidious would know.

* * *

An hour later, the top of the hyberbaric chamber pod opened lifted to reveal the menacing form of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. He plodded to the round holographic transmission pad in front of the pod.

As soon as Vader had kneeled on his left knee, the lights in the room dimmed and the transmission pad lit up in bright blue. After a few flickers, the dark-robed image of Sheev Palpatine, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, appeared.

A large, black throne all but encased the emaciated figure. His dark cloak shrouded the Sith Master's hideous face, scarred by Force-lightning eight years earlier.

Vader knew what his master looked like, just as he knew the true evil that consumed this man's heart. He preferred him cloaked.

The tremulous voice wavered across the hologram. "Greetings, Lord Vader. I hear that your work on Tatooine has been successful. Good." The transmission cut in-and-out with interference.

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

The Emperor leaned forward into the light, causing his hologram to brighten. "Your work here is finished, my friend. Intelligence has intercepted Rebel transmissions. We believe they were headed to a secret Rebel base. I want you to investigate these transmissions, suppressing all elements of the Rebellion in that sector."

"Where is the point of origin, my master?"

"Naboo." Palpatine tilted his head, observing Vader's reaction. "Now you know why they must be eliminated. I cannot have my home planet be the source of treason."

"I understand, my master." _Her. Padmé. My angel. No—Luke. Padmé. Focus on Padmé. Don't let him know about—focus on her curls, her smile. Oh, I miss you so much._

"I sense that you are unwilling to take on this assignment." Palpatine's voice pulled Vader from his mental battle. "You aren't considering treason, are you?"

"No, my master. I had many friends on Naboo at one time."

The Emperor chuckled. "Don't worry, Lord Vader, your friends that still live are no longer your friends. The others _you killed_ many years ago."

Pain shot through Vader's heart, causing him to fall forward. The Emperor was not above torture, and the man had many methods.

"I expect regular reports, Lord Vader. And when you have completed this mission, return to Coruscant and bring your new apprentice with you."

Vader jerked his head at the hologram.

"Oh, come now, Vader, did you actually think you could hide a young boy on a star destroyer? I have eyes everywhere."

Vader had prepared for this attack. He acted surprised, but actually he was not at all surprised. The Sith Lord spoke his rehearsed words with passion. "The boy has barely begun his training, but I feel a great darkness within him. He will be a powerful ally, my master."

"Yes, I know." Palpatine rubbed his hands together, laughing darkly. "Quench the Rebel influence on Naboo and then report to me."

"As you wish, my master."

The transmission cut off, leaving Vader staring down at the floor, wondering what Naboo would yield.


	12. Chapter 11 - Queen Marné and Lady Quemé

CHAPTER 11—NUBIAN REBELS

Sirens activated in the underground bunker in the middle of the Royal Mausoleum Complex. This was all the warning they would get—thirty minutes before the invasion of Imperial troops. The sensors had just picked up the fleet entering the Naboo system from hyperspace.

Lady Quemé, a slim woman with curly brown hair and a wicked sense of humor, sprung to action. As some Alliance members withdrew data storage, others wiped surfaces down with a special acid, destroying all forensic evidence and aging the appearance of the equipment.

Quemé stood ready to activate the last defensive measure as soon as her team evacuated—collapsing parts of the bunker, making it nearly impossible for the Imperials to reach the equipment.

Each one of the Rebel team would head into hiding across the planet. The Gungans would join their families in Otoh Gunga, while Nubians would hide in the forests and fields of Naboo.

Once they had evacuated the complex, Lady Quemé climbed the uneven earthen steps to the center of the Mausoleum Complex. She pressed a device in her hand, which shut the secret base permanently, collapsing the infrastructure. The grass above the bunker matched up perfectly with the surrounding grass.

She watched as ground crews hauled in marble benches, a fountain, and even a few statues. The casual observer would believe that this garden had been here even longer than the first mausoleum of the Nubian monarchs.

Once she had checked the are, the woman gathered her pale-blue skirts and hurried to the Throne Room.

While no one would call Lady Quemé young, no one would call her old or even middle-aged either. Her rich, brown hair bore no trace of silver yet. Only a few tiny wrinkles could be seen around her brown eyes that sparkled with energy. She still maintained her girlish figure and moved with an energy those eight years younger might envy.

While technically a member of the Queen's Court, she was too old to be considered a handmaiden, and the queen herself was too old for a governess. Still, Queen Marné looked to Lady Quemé for advice and guidance, as well as her expert leadership of the Rebel Alliance on Naboo.

* * *

Security officers and aides milled around the expansive room with ten-meter, vaulted ceilings carved in white marble. The multi-paned window behind the queen's desk admitted the Nubian sunlight, casting dark shadows throughout the room.

The chief of security, Captain Typho, admitted her to the queen's presence without delay. Quemé hurried up the seven steps to the daïs and curtsied to the young ruler, waiting patiently for the young girl to acknowledge her.

Queen Marné, dressed in the opulent costume of the monarch of Naboo, looked up from the reports on her desk. "Quemé, is everything secure?" The two horns on her headdress waggled as she spoke.

"Yes, Your Majesty. What's going on?"

"An Imperial investigation." The young queen did not waver, although her brow glistened with perspiration. "Our operation has been compromised."

Quemé blurted her report with speed. "Everyone is evacuated. Permission to—"

"No." The monarch's taffeta gown rustled when she lifted her hand to silence Quemé. "There is no place for you to hide except under their noses. Their leader has requested a tutor for his apprentice, one who will instruct him in Nubian history and politics. You will be that tutor."

"I don't see how putting me in close proximity to this Imperial's apprentice is going to protect me." Quemé's eyes flashed with passion.

The queen extended her hand to the woman. "You forget yourself, Lady Quemé. This is not a request. Please join the handmaidens in the anteroom. Don the veil during this Imperial Inquisition."

Lady Quemé bit her lip. _She doesn't want advice. Let her rule, like you trained her, Quemé._ She gazed at the queen, pride growing in her heart as she watched the young ruler respond to an emergency.

Queen Marné waved her hand, indicating for Quemé to depart.

The servant nodded her acquiescence and crossed behind the desk.

Before Quemé had left the room, however, the teen-aged queen said, "Trust me, Quemé. This arrangement insures that you will have limited contact with Lord Vader."

At the name of the dreaded Sith Lord, Quemé took a sharp breath, her body stiffening.

"You will have charge of the boy while the Sith Lord is investigating this matter. He will hardly think that the governess assigned to his apprentice is actually the leader of the Rebel Alliance on Naboo."

Quemé smiled at the queen, proud that the girl was as devious as she was politically astute. "As you direct, Your Majesty. I live but to serve you and the Alliance."

With that, Lady Quemé hurried to the anteroom to don the ombre gown and headdress of the Royal Handmaidens.


	13. Chapter 12 - Arrival on Naboo

CHAPTER 12 - ARRIVAL ON NABOO

Darth Vader and his young apprentice Biggs Darklighter sat in the aft command seats of the Sith Lord's shuttle. Young Biggs strained his neck, interfering with the command crew piloting the shuttle to Theed, the capital city of Naboo.

Lieutenant Piett sat in the main cabin with a full squad of elite stormtroopers from the 501st legion. Troopers filled every seat, with the rest crammed into every standing position in the center aisle. This squadron was Vader's personal bodyguard for official visits with their duties ranging from formal panoply to special operations.

Vader's eyes focused on the golden Palace of Theed as the pilots began landing procedures. The green-domed building dazzled the eyes. Smaller domes surround it, interspersed with red brick pathways. _Pathways where we held hands and talk and planned our futures_ — _so many memories of her_. Salty tears hit his lips the shuttle landed. _How can she still do this to me? I don't know if I can do this._ He looked over at Luke— _Biggs, now, call him Biggs_. _Too_ _many people would recognize_ Naberrie _here. That was_ her _family name._

Biggs leaned forward, looking out of the viewscreen. He spoke in wonder. "Wow! I never knew anything could be this green. It's beautiful."

Vader smiled under his helmet, remembering the first time that he had seen Naboo, thinking the same thing. The shuttle approached the palace, a sprawling complex of marble.

The boy sighed as the massive structure appeared in the viewport.

"Impressive, isn't it?" the Sith Lord asked.

He nodded, his eyes wide in wonder. "How big is it? It seems to go on forever."

Vader chuckled. "Not that large. One day you will see Coruscant, and then you will understand what 'forever' means." He reached forth his hand and mussed his son's hair fondly. _You would have loved him, Padmé. He's so much like you._

"Can we explore it?" He pointed beyond the viewscreen. "What are those tall things in that courtyard?" He pressed his face up against the plas-glass. Fog formed around his mouth and nose, leaving his prints on the viewport.

Vader followed the boy's finger pointing to a courtyard of marble with benches and potted plants. "Those are called 'trees.' Sometimes fruit grows on them. Others have nuts. Some are even big enough to climb."

"Climb? Can we climb one?"

The dark lord sighed. "Perhaps, but not for a few days. I have business to attend to."

As the shuttle thruster vents purged their excess steam, the loading ramp lowered. The contingent of stormtroopers double-stepped into an honor guard on either side.

At the other end of the landing pad, the head of the queen's security, Captain Typho, stood with a small security force. The line of guards stood at attention as the breeze buffeted their maroon and navy uniforms, threatening to rip their caps from their heads.

Darth Vader proceeded down the ramp at a stately pace, his black cloak billowing as the wind picked up. His apprentice followed slightly behind him and to his right.

When Vader reached Typho, the captain said, "Welcome to Naboo, Lord Vader. Her majesty awaits you in the throne room. If you would please follow me." Typho turned to lead Vader toward the throne room, but he pulled to an abrupt halt at the Sith Lord's voice.

"There is no need. I have been here before." Vader pushed past the captain.

Four stormtroopers moved into position, preventing the security force from following the dark lord. The rest of his contingent followed him, taking up positions along the marble balustrades.

Biggs followed, hustling to keep up with Lord Vader's long strides. Piett maintained his gait two steps behind young Biggs.

* * *

Vader lifted his hand, swinging open the large double doors to the Throne Room. He strode into the audience chamber and proceeded up the seven marble steps to the daïs. He took in the familiar room. Nothing had changed.

The queen sat on her throne behind the expansive desk. Her advisers sat to either side. Her handmaidens in the flame-like uniform stood behind her in a row. The only notable difference is now all of the handmaidens wore veils attached to their headdresses, revealing only the women's eyes.

With steely eyes, Queen Marné greeted the Imperial. "Lord Vader, welcome to Naboo. We are greatly honored by your presence."

Vader turned back to the matter at hand and his mission. "You may dispense with the pleasantries, Your Majesty."

"As you wish, Lord Vader. You must be tired after your journey. I can have one of my staff show you to your rooms and provide refreshment—"

"That won't be necessary. I sense your fear, Your Majesty. There is no need to worry as long as no one interferes with my investigation."

The queen slightly bowed her head. "Yes, my lord."

Vader looked around, sensing the tension in the room, especially coming from his apprentice. "Were you able to secure a tutor for my apprentice?"

"Yes, my lord,"

Lady Quemé stepped forward from the line of handmaidens.

"May I introduce you to Lady Quemé, my former governess?"

Vader scrutinized her. _She must be older than she looks if she was the queen's governess, definitely older than the average handmaiden._ "Come."

Lady Quemé glanced to her queen, who nodded her head. The handmaiden crossed to Vader, curtsying in respect. The woman was short, not even reaching Vader's shoulders.

He gazed into her eyes and found both strength and affection looking back at him. Those brown eyes sent a pang to his heart. "Lady Quemé?" He stumbled over her name.

"Yes, my lord?"

"You remind me of someone I once knew. Are you related to the Naberrie family?"

Quemé bit her lip under her veil. "Distantly, my lord."

Vader grimaced. "Good. Biggs, come. Lady Quemé, this is Biggs Darklighter, my apprentice. His education is . . . lacking. Please instruct him in Nubian and Clone War history. I expect him to have full understanding of the primary conflicts and participants by the end of this week."

"Yes, my lord." Quemé curtsied.

"This is my aide, Lieutenant Piett. Please report to him on the boy's progress regularly. You are dismissed."

Lady Quemé curtsied again. "Yes, my lord." She grabbed the young boy's hand and exited the throne room.

Vader turned to the young queen and leaned on her desk. "And now, Your Majesty, we will discuss the location of the Rebel base."

Queen Marné stared at the black mask. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lord Vader. I assure you, Naboo's loyalty to the Empire has never been questioned. I guarantee that our support for Emperor Palpatine has not wavered since he was elected to office."

"That's what I'm afraid of."


	14. Chapter 13 - The Governess

**CHAPTER 13—THE GOVERNESS**

Quemé sat at a small table in one of the gardens, watching her charge. The sunset painted the sky every hue from blue and red to gold and orange. Biggs's eyes widened, taking in the splendor as they ate their evening meal together in this secluded garden. She smiled at him, enjoying the innocence of this young boy.

He rattled on as he shoveled food into his mouth. "I never thought sunsets could be any prettier than Tatooine, but I've never seen so many colors in the sky all at once before."

"You've been to Tatooine?" Quemé leaned in.

"That's where I'm from. It's all I knew before I came here." He slurped the noodle hanging from his lips. "Hey, have you ever climbed trees before?"

Quemé smiled at him under her veil, her eyes scrunching together. _This boy is too precious. I want to keep him—anything to keep from the Sith._ "I seem to recall doing that once or twice when my mentors weren't looking." Her eyes twinkled.

Biggs looked at the tree on the earthen terrace below them and then smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "Do you think that tree is strong enough to hold us?"

Quemé pushed away her plate and stood. She crossed to the edge of the garden and looked beyond the hedge that formed the safety barrier. "Only one way to find out." She gathered her skirts and hurried down the steps to the next terrace. "Well, aren't you coming, Biggs?"

The little boy ran down the steps, racing past his governess. She made it to the first limb two meters above, but Biggs was stuck, unable to reach the first limb. She reached down and pulled him up.

He then scampered up the limbs that were closer together, sitting on one large limb about three meters from the top of the tree. "Come on, Quemé! The view up here is magnificent. The stars are coming out." He scooted toward the middle of the branch, making room for the woman.

As Quemé climbed, a branch caught her headdress, ripping and falling to the ground. When she had reached Biggs's branch, she gingerly sat on it with him, hoping it would not crash to the ground with her added weight. She peered down where her headdress had fallen, realizing they must have climbed at least ten meters.

Biggs looked at her, his eyes widening.

"What's wrong?" Quemé asked.

"Your face is bleeding—above your eye."

Quemé raised her hand above her eyebrow. Warm liquid oozed out. She pressed her palm to the abrasion, stemming the flow of blood. "So it is." She giggled. "What would the queen say if she saw me like this?"

Biggs laughed with her, his eyes unable to pull away from his governess.

"Stop looking at me like that, Biggs." She punched his shoulder in play. "I might think you have a crush on me."

"I can't help it. You're beautiful."

"How would you know?" Quemé said, glowing with the praise but uncomfortable with the source.

"Well, you're more beautiful than my aunt. Maybe Jabba's slave girl was prettier . . ."

She frowned. "What were you doing looking at slave girls, young man?"

He turned his eyes down at his hands, his cheeks flushing. "She was at the pod races with Jabba. I didn't really get a good look at her."

She regretted teasing him now. He was just a boy, and a young one at that. She changed the subject quickly. "So, tell me what made you want to become a Sith Lord."

He stared at his hands, fidgeting with them. "I don't want to be a Sith, but it is either that or death."

"Biggs, trust me, you can't become one. You are too innocent. Haven't you seen the horrible things that Vader has done? Do you want to become that monster?"

He furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes at her. "He's not that bad. He's strict, but I've never seen him kill anyone. He even freed the slaves on Tatooine." His face softened as he looked back at his hands and swung his legs. "And it's not like I had a choice in the matter. Lord Vader won't let anyone kill me."

Quemé ran her fingers through the boy's hair. "I wish things were different. If I could get you away from him, would you go? I mean, if I could take you to a safe place, to safe people, to someone who could train you to be a Jedi instead?"

The boy shook his blond curls "no." "I can't leave him. I just can't. If I leave him, he will never . . ."

"Never what, Biggs?"

"Never turn back. I promised someone that I would turn him back to the good side."

"He was never good."

Biggs turned back to her, his eyes ablaze with fervor. "No, you're wrong. I feel the good in him. There is so much conflict, so much pain, so much fear. But there is love, too. He loves me, Quemé. I can feel it. I can't leave him."

These were aspects of Vader Quemé had never even considered. _So there is a heart somewhere within that monster. But why would he love his own apprentice? Why would he be afraid of losing him? He's just another boy. Something doesn't add up._

She smiled at Biggs. "It looks like we both need a bath. Come on, we'd better head inside before Lord Vader comes looking for us."

Biggs descended. "Oh, he always knows where I am. There is no way to hide from him."

"I guess we won't be playing hide-and-seek, then." Quemé rumpled his hair before they hurried to the palace complex.

* * *

A few hours later when both Quemé and Biggs had cleaned up, the governess sat on the edge of his large canopy bed, tucking him in.

"Tell me a story, Quemé."

"A story? I don't know many stories."

"Sure you do. Tell me some more about the Clone Wars. You haven't even gotten to the good part yet."

She tapped his nose. "How would you know?"

"It's a war. All you told me today was about the politics of it all. There had to be some fighting and some war heroes. Tell me about a war hero."

Quemé took a moment to compose her thoughts as they strayed to the preeminent war hero of the era. "Now, where were we? The Separatists had created their armies of Battle Droids and worked with Count Dooku to overthrow the Republic's Armies. The Jedi Knights lead the Clone Armies into battles across the galaxy."

"More details."

"All right, you said you met Jabba. Did you know that the Separatists kidnapped his son early in the wars?"

Biggs eyes widened. "No, tell me."

"The Separatists were blackmailing him. Right after the battle of Geonosis, the droid army seized control of the major hyperspace lanes, separating the Republic from most of its clone army. As more planets chose to join the Separatists, the Jedi generals lost ground in the Outer Rim. While the Jedi were occupied fighting a war, crime spread. Then Jabba's son Rotta was kidnapped by a rival band of pirates—"

"You just said it was the Separatists."

"Shh," Quemé said putting her finger to his lips. "I'm getting to that. Patience, young one. So—desperate to save his son, Jabba contacted the Jedi."

"I met his son. He was with Jabba at the pod races." Biggs grinned. "He was a baby?"

"I think larva might be a better term, a stinky one at that. Anyway, the Chancellor—"

"You mean the Emperor—"

"Palpatine was the Chancellor at that point, Biggs. Remember, this was during the Republic."

"What's the difference?"

Quemé stared at the carved paneling for a moment. She returned her gaze to the small boy. "In a republic, the citizens elect senators to represent them to the rest of the galaxy. The senators select one of their own as Chancellor to represent the galaxy and lead them in righteousness."

"I don't understand. We have an Imperial Senator for Tatooine. My uncle voted for him and everything. And it sounds like the Emperor does the same thing the Chancellor did."

"The Republic Senate actually ran the galaxy. The Chancellor could not override it. Today, the Imperial Senate bows to the Emperor. Only what he desires happens. I have good friends in the Senate, good senators from the Galactic Republic, but their power has been stripped."

Biggs titled his head. "So, why do we even have a senate then? It makes no sense."

"Most citizens aren't aware that the Emperor has taken control. They still believe that nothing has changed."

"That's wrong."

Quemé nodded. "There are lots of things wrong about the Empire, Biggs. This is only the beginning. But, the Emperor started his quest for power during the Clone War. He has been a puppet master for many years."

"How did he do that?"

"Well, Palpatine felt that it was the perfect opportunity to bring in the Hutts on the Republic side. He persuaded the Jedi Council to send Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on the mission." Quemé stumbled over the name "Anakin."

Biggs gasped at the name, his eyes bulging and his mouth rounding.

"Unfortunately, they had not obtained a complete victory in the battle they were still fighting. Led by Captain Rex and Commander Cody, Kenobi sent in their clone troopers to capture the supplies on Christophsis—"

The heavy door of the bedroom swung open as the dark form of Lord Vader appeared. Quemé stood and curtsied at his appearance. "Lord Vader."

Vader rumbled, "Lady Quemé. That will be all for today."

The governess hurried through the adjoining refresher to her bedroom. Worried for young Biggs, she closed the door, keeping her ear pressed to the seal.

* * *

Breathing a sigh of relief to be away from his duties. His investigation had yielded few results, Vader took the governess's spot on the bed. For the first time in a long time, he dreaded using Sith methods. If his investigation yielded nothing from regular methods, he would have to move to those alternative methods soon. For now, though, his son was his respite of peace and joy.

"Biggs, tell me about your day. Do you like your governess?"

The boy's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes, Daddy, Lady Quemé's is amazing."

"Biggs, I've asked you not to call me that in public."

"We're not in public. Only us in here, Daddy." Luke grinned impudently at the dark form, trying to get him to laugh.

"Very well. Tell me about Quemé. What did you do today?"

The boy rattled off in excitement. He moved his arms to his side before clutching them in front of his chest. "Climbed a tree. Oh, and she's so beautiful, Daddy."

Vader looked at his son, perturbed. "What about lessons? How far did she get?"

"Oh, those we're pretty boring. She spent the whole day telling me about some Trade Federation Siege of Naboo and the start of the Clone War."

"Go on."

"Well, she was just telling me about the Battle of Chris—, Christo—, Christopostits—"

"Christophsis?"

Luke smiled and said, "Yeah, that."

"The first or the second one?"

"There were two? I think the first one, because we were just starting."

"Very good. Now, get some sleep. I expect you to be an expert on the Clone War by the end of the week. You will need a good night's sleep to absorb all of the information." The dark lord stroked the boy's cheek before turning off the lights in the room in the Force. "I love you, Biggs."

"I love you, too, Daddy."

* * *

Quemé leaned against the wall that abutted the refresher unit. _Things are finally beginning to make sense. Biggs is his son. He must have been a war orphan, lost his mother during the war, and his father didn't know where he was. I wonder what other secrets Vader is hiding._

She wasn't tired yet. The young boy may need 10 hours of sleep, but she had been surviving on much less for many years now. She headed out into the cool of the night, strolling on the Grand Terrace that overlooked the city.

She was lost in thought gazing at the moon when she heard the heavy breathing of Vader's regulator behind her. She jumped in shock before turning to him and curtsying. "Lord Vader. How may I serve you?"

The Dark Lord stared at her. "I heard someone out here. I wanted to make sure there were no clandestine meetings between Rebel leaders."

Quemé's heart raced at those words. _Does he suspect? Was Marné wrong?_ "Sorry, it's just me, and now you."

"I am sorry to have disturbed you." Vader turned to leave but then turned back. "I was wondering, do you have access to the mausoleums?"

She calmed herself. _He knows. He knows where the transmissions originated. He know it's me._ "Of course, my lord."

"Could you open Padmé Naberrie's for me? I would like to pay my respects."

She tilted her head at the request. The tomb lay in the southwest corner, far from the abandoned bunker.

"Of course, Lord Vader. Follow me."

Vader slowed his pace for the smaller woman.

"I wasn't aware that you knew her."

"She was a very good friend . . . a lifetime ago. Coming back to Naboo has brought back memories I thought buried long ago."

* * *

Quemé passed her hand over the security panel on the mausoleum that served as a shrine for Padmé Naberrie Amidala, Queen and Senator of Naboo, victim of the Clone War. She led the hulking figure of Darth Vader into the vast marble structure.

The room preserved portraits and images of Padmé from her time in public office. Many pictures showed her with a tall young Jedi, her bodyguard at one time, Anakin Skywalker.

Vader lifted his gloved hand to one of the portraits, tracing the outline of the woman's face. Quemé was sure she heard a sob come from his vocalizer.

In the middle of the room lay the bier, with her casket upon it.

Vader turned to the young woman. "May I grieve in private, please?"

She curtsied and replied with a choked-up voice, "Of course, my lord." She exited the tomb, waiting against the outer wall with the door open.

Lady Quemé heard his strangled voice mumble, "I'm sorry. I want to change, Padmé, but I am lost without my guiding light. When I think that I might have lost my own son in the Jedi Purge, O Padmé, how this world has changed without you! I wish you could meet him. You'd like him very much. You'd probably steal him away from me with your charm. I could never deny you anything."

The words tapered off to mere whispers that Quemé could not understand. Only one thing she did know about this mysterious creature—the pain he felt.

 _Maybe_ he _is the key to overthrowing the Emperor._

Quemé stopped that line of thought and then started thinking of the specifics. It was obvious that seduction would not work on him, but maybe his son would.

 _I can't believe I'm thinking about subverting a Sith Lord!_


	15. Chapter 14 - An Informant

**CHAPTER 14—AN INFORMANT**

Vader stood in the main reception room of the Palace of Theed, browsing through the reports on his datapad. Lieutenant Piett stood beside him, reviewing the same reports, hoping to see a connection that they had missed.

A stormtrooper captain entered the room, striding to the Sith Lord and saluting.

Vader turned to the man. "Yes, Captain."

The former clone trooper of the 501st Legion said, "We have captured an informant, Lord Vader." His orange shoulder pad denoted his rank on the otherwise ubiquitous white armor.

"Very good."

"Evidence has led us to believe the center of this conspiracy is in the Lake Country, near Lake Paonga."

Vader rumbled in approval. "Excellent. If the informant is of no further use, dispose of him, Captain. Make him an example of what happens to Rebel scum."

"Yes, my lord." The captain pivoted on his heel, departing to carry out his orders.

"Lieutenant!"

Piett looked up from his datapad. "Yes, my lord."

"Make arrangements to move our central operations to Varykino in the Lake Country." Vader clenched his fist in the air.

"The entire contingent, my lord?"

"Leave a small force to maintain control here, but bring the boy."

"Will I be resuming the boy's education?"

"No, Lieutenant, I will need your help if we are ever to get to the bottom of this Rebellion. Bring the boy's tutor with us. She can at least keep him out of trouble."

"Very well, my lord."

Vader departed, thinking of _her_. _How can I go on, Padmé? This is too much. Varykino will seem empty without you._

By the time they had arrived at the Lake Country, the sun had long since set. The servants at the villa had provided the Imperial contingent with nourishment before showing them to their quarters.

Vader, though, could not sleep without his hyperbaric chamber. He found himself drawn to the moonlight that shone on the terrace above Lake Paonga. He was finally able to meditate here, gazing out across the lake, looking at the moon that had shone down on him and his Padmé so often—the place where they had joined hands fourteen years earlier at the beginning of the Clone Wars.

* * *

Quemé spoke through the open hatches of the adjoining refresher unit. "Into your sleeping clothes right away. You can wash in the morning. It's late."

"Oh, why do I have to go to sleep right now?" Biggs yawned. "I want to explore this place."

"Biggs, there will be plenty of time to explore this place in the morning. It is packed with plenty of history, you know."

He pulled on his pajama bottoms. "Why does everything have to be a history lesson with you?"

The governess entered the sleeping chamber, stepping softly. She wore her handmaid uniform of bright red with touches of yellow and orange resembling a flame. Her habit held back her brown curly hair, but her modesty veil hung loosely against the side of her face, revealing her kind smile.

"Because, if we refuse to learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it." Her eyes twinkled at the young boy. "Now, climb into bed quickly. Lord Vader will arrive any time now."

After resting his head on the pillow, Quemé pulled the covers up, tucking him in.

Luke reached up and grabbed onto her errant curls. "Why do you hide your hair under that scarf?"

She pulled back the coil from his hands, the hair sliding through his loosely-clenched fingers. "It is a uniform. It shows that I am a member of the queen's handmaidens—just like the stormtroopers wear armor." Quemé leaned in, stroking his face.

"You're really nice. Did you ever think about getting married . . . because I want to marry you."

Quemé bit her lip and then smiled with bittersweet memories. "I've been married. I even had a little boy once. You remind me of him." A tear escaped her eye.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. What was he like?"

"He had blue eyes, just like you. And when he smiled, I thought my heart would stop. I think he would have had your sense of adventure, too."

"What happened to your husband?"

"The Clone War. It changed everything in my life." Bitterness crept into Quemé's voice. "It took my husband from me and my son."

"I'm sorry. I lost my parents in the Clone War, too."

"But you got your father back." Her bitterness melted away with a warm smile.

The boys mouth dropped open in fear.

"Don't worry, it's our secret. I heard you call him 'Daddy' in Theed. I'm glad you found him. I wouldn't want any child not to have their parents."

"I wish I knew my mother."

"What was her name?"

"Padmé."

Quemé shuddered at the name.

"Daddy says she was a queen." Biggs's eyes watered with tears. "I know it's silly to miss someone you never knew, but I do miss her, Quemé."

The governess sat back. Her shoulders hunched in. She felt for the japur snippet that hung beneath her gown, fingering it. She looked at the boy anew, wiping his tears. "Maybe one day you will."

Quemé took the boy into an embrace, stroking his hair and kissing the top of his head before settling him in the bed.

"I'll check on you later, Biggs. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a busy day for us all."

As she exited the room, she turned back to him at the door. "I love you." She whispered the last word. "Luke."

* * *

Gasping for breath, Quemé leaned her head against the corridor wall. _That boy Biggs . . . he's my son. And if he is my son, then my husband is . . . Lord Vader. Oh, Anakin._

It was too much to take in all at once. She remembered the last time she saw him on Mustafar, so sure that what he was doing was right, but was so wrong. Luke's words from the last night in Theed came back to her—"I know there is still good in him. He loves me."

She jumped when she heard a voice behind her.

"Lady Quemé is everything all right?" Lieutenant Piett stood next to her, efficient as ever.

"Yes, I'm fine." She quickly raised her veil and fastened it to her headdress.

"Very well." Piett turned to continue on his way.

She extended her hand. "Wait, Lieutenant. Could you tell me where Lord Vader is?"

"I'm sorry. He has asked not to be disturbed. Perhaps in the morni—"

Quemé pulled herself up in all of the queenly authority that she had ever possessed. "Lieutenant, he _will_ speak with me. This concerns the boy. Now, either you will take me to him, or I will go there myself. I am sure he would not be pleased if he found out that you prevented me from seeing him about the _boy_."

Piett swallowed and clenched his teeth in fear. "Very well, my lady, if it is that important. Follow me."


	16. Chapter 15 - Confronting Vader

**CHAPTER 15—CONFRONTING VADER**

Lieutenant Piett led Lady Quemé to the terrace that overlooked the lake. The moon danced upon the marble, obscured only by the dark shadow of the Sith Lord. His black clothing and armor swallowed its rays completely. The lieutenant hurried inside before his superior noticed him.

The large man in black did not turn from gazing out at the lake in the moonlight.

Quemé crossed to the railing and stood beside the man. "Lord Vader." She curtsied in respect.

The Sith Lord turned quickly, his breathing heavy. "I asked not to be dist—" Vader broke off his tirade as he looked into the woman's large brown eyes, the only feature he could distinguish of the woman. His mind imagined brown, curly hair framing the woman's face, but he broke off that thought, not wanting to torture himself. "What is it?"

"Why do you always look at me that way, my lord?"

"You remind me of someone I once knew. A ghost." _Just a ghost. Leave me alone. Let me mourn her_. "Is there some purpose to this . . ." Vader trailed off. "No . . . that's impossible."

"What, my lord?"

"Remove your veil."

"My lord?"

"Take it off, woman, or I will tear it off." Vader leaned over her.

With trembling hands, Quemé unhooked her veil.

"That's impossible. Are you a spy sent by the Emperor? Are you going to deliver the boy to him?" Vader stretched out his hand sending the Force to strangle the woman's neck. "I won't let you have him."

Padmé pulled back in fear, clutching her hands to her throat, gurgling. "Please, don't hurt me. Ani, it's me. It's really me. It's your angel."

Vader released his grip, grabbing the woman as she fell.

She clutched at her neck, before pulling out the japur snippet and holding it in front of his lenses. She placed her free hand on his chest so that he could feel her touch.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me, my angel." _Am I dreaming? Is this a hallucination sent to torture me?_ Vader stretched out with the Force, feeling her presence in it. _How could I not recognize it after all these years? It is the same as the day we last met_.

"How is this possible? The Emperor told me you were dead."

"Master Yoda . . . is truly _powerful_." She stroked his mask as if it were his face. "I've missed you, Ani. Every day for the last eight years I've missed you. I didn't even know where you were. I looked for you, but all of your records had been erased. It was as if you had never existed." Padmé ran her fingers over his mask and his arms.

"How long have you known?" Vader's vocalizer purred. His body relaxed as he held his wife.

"Only minutes. Luke and I were having a bedtime chat. I asked him what his mother's name was. I came to find you as soon as I knew. Oh, Ani." She buried her head in his chest, laying it against the hard armor.

"You know his name? Is he safe?"

Padmé nodded with clenched lips. "I overheard him you call 'Daddy' back in Theed."

"Who told you his name?"

"No one. I named him, Anakin. Of course I know his name." Padmé winked at him. "I never thought I would ever see him again after they took him into hiding. I never thought I would see _you_ again."

Vader stared at her. His mind was moving quickly. His back tensed, and his grip on her tightened.

"Please, don't take him away from me." She traced the outline of his collar bone where the armor met the fabric suit. "The hardest thing I ever did was let him go, letting you both go. I can't do it again." Tears flowed down her cheeks.

"You don't understand. The Emperor knows about Luke. I can only keep him safe if he is with me, Padmé." Each time he said her name, his voice softened more.

"Ani, you don't have to do this anymore. You can stop, right now. I'll help you. We can be a family again. Anakin, all I want is your love."

Vader was confused, so many things coming to light at once. "Oh, Padmé, what have I done?" He held her, unable to kiss her, unable to look on her with his own eyes.

"Nothing that we can't fix together."

"Life has been unbearable without you. I thought you were dead. I didn't even know I had a son until a few days ago. I had no hope until I found Luke, and now you." Vader spoke in a hushed whisper, hoping that no one else could hear this conversation. He ran his fingers through her curls like many times before.

Padmé looked up at her husband. "Hope is all you need Ani." She rested her hands on his forearms. "Please take your mask off. I want to look at the real Anakin, not this armor that you hide behind."

"You don't want to see me, Angel. I'm disfigured—a shell of a man is all that is left. This mask is all that keeps me alive. There is only darkness in me now."

"No, there is good in you. I still see it. I see it every time you are with Luke. You still have love within you, Anakin. You still have light."

"But Palpatine . . ."

Padmé stroked his upper arm, finally finding something that felt like flesh under the black suit. With firm resolve, she said, "Together, we can destroy him. We can bring you out of this bondage and the galaxy out of darkness. Join me, Ani, for Luke and for . . . Leia."

"Leia. Who's Leia?"

She led him to a small marble bench at the side of the terrace. Looking up at his helmet, she whispered, "Ani, Leia's our little girl. Luke's twin."

"I have a daughter? A little girl? I knew you were having a girl." Joy and hope boomed through his vocalizer. His gloved hand smoothed her cheek as he used to. "I bet she's just like you."

Padmé leaned into his caresses. "She looks like me, but she's a lot like you. She has your passion, your drive."

"You mean my temper?" Anakin asked with a small laugh.

"Yes, that notorious Skywalker temper. Bail and Breha adopted her. She's the Crown Princess of Alderaan, Leia Naberrie Skywalker Organa." Padmé smiled as she thought of her daughter and the few times Padmé had seen her in the news vids with her parents.

"At least she is in a royal house. Do you know where I found Luke? Back on Tatooine, on my step-brother's moisture farm."

Padmé scrunched up her face in worry. "So, you've seen Obi-Wan?"

"He survived our encounter, if that's what you're asking." Anakin rumbled his displeasure.

Padmé grinned with a slight giggle. "Well, that's better than I expected."

Anakin chuckled, bringing a laugh to his wife. "Oh, it is, is it? I could go back and take care of him . . . Oh, Padmé, what are we going to do?"

"The Force brought us back together _now_ , Anakin. Not earlier, not later. _Now_ is the time to act." Padmé winked. "I think it's time for some aggressive negotiations with dear old Palpatine."

"I'm not the same man I used to be, Angel. This suit is more confining than you realize. I have lost much of my speed. The Emperor is more powerful than I am."

She stroked his arm. "You don't have to face him alone."

"Luke's still a boy and has no training. I will not put him anywhere near Sidious."

"Not Luke." She titled her head and smirked. "Obi-Wan."

"He'll never join me, not after what I did to him."

"I think you underestimate him. Obi-Wan would do anything to save you." She leaned on him again. "That's why he couldn't kill you. He still believes in you, Ani."

"Believes in me enough to try to kill me."

She kissed the top of his helmet. "I believe in you." She kissed the cheek of his helmet. "Your son believes in you."

 _Luke. Obi-Wan._ Vader thought back to the confrontation, reveling in the emotions of the fight. _He wasn't trying to kill me. He was trying to protect Luke. He was trying to protect my son._

His arm twinged, sending another stabbing pain. He jerked, knocking his wife aside. "I'm sorry, Padmé. I didn't mean to."

"Are you all right?" She rubbed her elbow where his arm had made contact.

"Just the cybernetics. I told you, I'm not the same man I used to be."

"Oh, Ani, couldn't they give you anything better? Cybernetics have improved in the last eight years."

"The Empire does not waste resources replacing perfectly good equipment just because there is something newer." Bitterness punctuated each word.

Padmé looked at her husband with a mischievous grin. "Ani, do you trust me?"

Anakin nodded.

"Then come with me tomorrow. We can bring Luke."

"Where?"

"Polis Massa."

"The Emperor would never allow it."

"Tell him you are following up on a lead. I'll come as Luke's tutor." She wrapped her arms around his right arm. "You weren't planning on leaving him here, were you?"

"I never said I was going."

"Oh, stop being so stubborn, Anakin."

"I'm stubborn?"

Padmé opened her mouth to retort, but it changed into her beautiful smile and a small laugh. "I've missed you, Anakin." She grabbed his right hand and kissed his fingertips. While they were only metal underneath the leather glove, she knew those fingers could feel her touch as if they were real flesh. "Hold me."

The man, Anakin Skywalker—not the Sith Lord—took his wife into his arms, holding her as they sat on the bench, running his hands through her curly hair, wishing things could be different. He stared out into space, wondering why he was so fortunate—first his son, now his wife, and one day his daughter. The hope of family was hope indeed.


	17. Chapter 16 - My Mother

**CHAPTER 16—MY MOTHER**

Padmé awoke as the sun crested the hills. Her backside tingled from the hard marble bench. A heavy, black arm clutched her torso and pressed her body against her husband's armor. She gazed at the dark figure, his respirator mechanically breathing for him as he dozed.

Moving slowly as not to disturb, she extricated herself from his grasp. As she stood, Anakin revived out of his trance.

She smiled at him. "Good morning, Ani." Her face was alight, ready to take on the day.

He grumbled. "'Morning." He creaked as he stood. His robotic gears whined.

"You never were a morning person, were you?" She donned her headdress with the sun's rays bathing her face in radiant light.

Anakin moved close to his wife, grabbing her by the waist. "Oh, I was a morning person. Don't confuse not wanting to get out of bed with not being awake. I definitely looked forward to mornings with you."

She blushed at his teasing. "Well, if I am going to preserve my reputation, I had better get back to Luke, I mean Biggs. Oh, these names are so confusing, Ani."

He grabbed her hand and raised a finger to her lips. "Shh. They are necessary for now." He lifted his head. "The corridor is clear now. Head on back. I'll leave a few minutes after you, just in case anyone sees you."

"Just like old times?"

Anakin nodded his helmet. "Like old times, Angel. I must report to my master. I'll meet you here after the midday meal."

"Don't be late." Padmé's eyes twinkled.

"I am never late."

Padmé swiveled her cape and dress as she reattached her veil and headed into the villa. Anakin returned to his place of meditation and gazed out at the lake as the sun rose.

* * *

When Padmé returned to the suite she shared with Luke, the rooms stood empty. She looked under the beds and in the wardrobes. The refresher was vacant, too. He was gone.

 _Ani's going to kill me if anything happens to him. Where did he run off to, now?_

Padmé quickly ran out of the room into the corridor, heading for the transit area. She encountered the affable Lieutenant Piett, seemingly just awoken himself. "Lieutenant, have you seen Lord Vader?"

The polite young man sighed. "Again, Lady Quemé? I thought _you_ had charge of the boy. Lord Vader does not want to be disturbed. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Vader, hearing the commotion, joined the couple in the corridor. "Pa- Lady Quemé. What seems to be the trouble?"

"Lu-Lord Vader, the boy is missing. He's not in his room." Her eyes widened with fear as she imagined a variety of dangers he could be in.

Vader ranged out with the Force. "He's fine. He's just gone exploring." He cut off a chuckle. "Lieutenant, you will find the boy down by the lake shore in a tree. Return him to his quarters. Then join me on the _Executor._ "

"Yes, Lord Vader." The lieutenant nodded.

As Piett turned to leave, Vader sighed. The Sith Lord lifted his arm and waved it slowly. "And take a towel. Young Darklighter seems to have fallen in the lake."

Quemé hitched up her skirts and started to run, but Vader's strong hand on her arm prevented her. "He's fine. Let Piett bring him in. Have him cleaned up and ready to leave by this afternoon. And, Lady Quemé, find something more suitable for the boy to wear."

She curtsied. "Yes, my lord."

* * *

When Lieutenant Piett and Biggs arrived at the suite, the boy shivered so hard that his blue lips waggled.

Quemé quickly patted him down with a towel, looking down the corridor at the stream of water he had dripped during his passage. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I will take care of him now. Sorry about the mess."

"That is the least of my worries, Lady Quemé." The lieutenant exited, leaving the boy to the governess's care.

She shut the door and pointed her finger at the boy. "Biggs, don't you ever do anything like that again. You could have drowned." She clutched him to her chest. "You scared me. I thought I would lose you."

She started stripping the wet tunic from the little boy.

Biggs shrugged her off. "I can undress myself. I'm not a little kid."

"Well, I've drawn the bath. Go get into the tub," she said as she pulled a robe out of the wardrobe. "Put this on when you come out."

Biggs held it up, sizes too big for him, and laughed.

"Go on now, and do as I say."

"Yes, Quemé." He entered the refresher room. "Hey, where were you this morning?"

But he was speaking to an empty room. Quemé had left.

* * *

Lady Quemé and Biggs Darklighter strolled the marble corridors of the Villa Varykino, slurping on juicy pears that fine morning. The governess instructed the young man in Nubian history and geography, but inside Padmé's mind was racing about how she was going to tell Biggs who she was.

 _Oh, he's going to be angry. I should have told him as soon I realized it. He's not going to want anything to do with me. I abandoned him. He won't understand it was for his safety._

She stared at him as the juice of his pear left a trail on the marble floor.

 _He'll hate me more if I don't tell him. And there's no way to hide it. He's going to find out soon._

Each room in the villa was dedicated to a different monarch, allowing the young boy to learn a name and a date, as well as to put a face with the name. Each room also held artistic renderings of the main events in each monarch's life, which added to Biggs's understanding.

By the end of the morning, Quemé insisted on visiting one more chamber before heading to the terrace for lunch.

"I don't want to," he whined.

She passed her hand over the fingerprint scanner and lifted her eye for the retinal scan. Quemé turned to him and held her finger to his lips, "Shh. This won't take long. This is our most important queen."

Biggs entered as the door slid open, revealing a formal dining room. He wandered around the room, reading datapads that sprung to life as he approached paintings of the Naboo Trade Federation Siege about twenty-four years before.

Quemé said from behind him, "Padmé Naberrie Amidala was only fourteen when she took office."

Luke gasped. "This is my mother?" He ran his left hand over a portrait of her in the regal garb. Her face was painted white with the blood stripe down her lips. A heavy headdress and ermine robes weighed down the slight figure.

The governess nodded. "She was responsible for freeing her people and uniting both the humans and Gungans into one planetary force. She served for two terms and then continued in public service as a Galactic Senator alongside Sheev Palpatine."

Biggs' brain was fuzzy after all the names he had learned today, but "Palpatine" seemed familiar to him. "I think I've heard of him before. Who is he?"

Quemé led Biggs to another painting, showing the aged senator before he was elected as Chancellor of the Republic. "This is Palpatine. He is now the Galactic Emperor. A Sith Master named Darth Sidious."

Biggs drew back in fear.

"Beware of him. He only wants what is best for himself, not others. He knows how to make you think you are doing the right thing when you are not. Don't trust him. Ever."

"Yes, Lady Quemé."

"Come over here. I want you to see what she really looked like underneath the state robes and makeup."

She led the boy to a larger-than-life-sized painting that hung above the fireplace in the middle of one wall. A heavy maroon curtain covered it, preserving the pigments from the ultraviolet rays of the room's light.

Quemé pushed a button on the wall panel, which caused the curtain to rise slowly. It first revealed a beautiful violet gown of velvet that hung from an empire waist and gathered around the lady's bust.

Biggs craned his neck up, trying to see every detail as the curtain slowly moved. Finally, the lady's chin and curly chestnut hair appeared. Then her lips and teeth. Her nose was next, and then her eyes appeared. Luke continued to stare at every detail of the picture.

Biggs looked at the inscription and then at Quemé. Tears welled up in the little boy's eyes as he stared at the image again, trying to memorize each aspect. "Does Lord Vader know about this room?"

"Yes, Luke. Your father knows."

He turned to the governess again at those words—he was not sure if he were more shocked that she knew his name or that she had removed her headdress and veil in the intervening moments. He gazed at the woman, knowing he was seeing the woman in the picture standing right before his eyes.

She stood beside the painting, smiling exactly the same as in the picture. Yes, there were a few more wrinkles on her face, but there was no denying they were the same person.

Padmé knelt down and embraced her son. "Luke, I'm your mother." She hugged her little boy, saying his name—his real name—over and over. "Oh, Luke, I wanted to tell you last night, but . . ."

"Daddy. You were with Daddy, weren't you?"

Padmé nodded. "Yeah. We had eight years of catching up to do." She bit her lip before asking, "Can you ever forgive me for letting you go?"

"Nothing to forgive. A week ago I had no parents. Today, I have them both. It just seems unreal."

Padmé took the boy's head and held it close to her chest. "I know. I never thought I would see you again. I'm never letting you go again, Luke."

"But Daddy wants me with him all the time."

"I know. I'm not letting him go either. Never again. All I want is to love you both."

 _And Leia._


	18. Chapter 17 - Silver Streak

**CHAPTER 17—SILVER STREAK**

Anakin glanced ahead while his wife led his son up the rocky hillside under the summer sun. The sweat ran beneath his black suit, the itch unbearable.

Padmé never sweated. She glistened. She only looked more beautiful.

Luke tried his best to keep up, occasionally stumbling on the rocks. At last, he fell from exhaustion. "How much further do we have to go?" the boy whined.

Padme frowned and pointed at him. "No. No whining. Modulate your tone, young man."

"But—"

"Obey your mother, Luke."

The boy took a deep breath and tried it over, this time with a pleasant attitude. "How much further, Mommy?"

"Much better. Another kilometer. Think you can make it?" She handed him her canteen of water.

Luke shook his head.

Anakin picked him up from behind and settled the boy on his shoulders. "Let's go, Padmé. We'll still need to perform preflights before it gets dark. And how do you propose we get past the Imperial blockade?"

Padmé turned back to him with her smile. "We'll use the Force." She continued the ascent up the hillside.

The Sith Lord rumbled, "The Force doesn't work that—" _Maybe it does. Force, I love that woman. How have I lived without you, Padmé?_

* * *

When they crested the top of the hill, a concrete dome appeared inset into the apex. As Anakin lowered Luke to the ground, Padmé led them to a plascrete stairwell and pressed a control panel.

The entire hill shook as the dome opened and a small door in the stairwell slid back, revealing a silver H-1 Nubian Yacht. The highly-polished chrome fuselage extended for almost fifty meters. It was triangular, with three tail-fins housing the ion engines. Padmé led them to the craft as the ramp lowered.

"So, you still have her." Anakin gazed in admiration at the craft he had flown so many times before during the Clone War.

"Of course. Not going to let this beauty go. Ani, can you do exterior while I start the pilot preflight? She hasn't flown in years."

"Is she fueled?"

Padmé smiled at him. "Should be. Kept her ready for an emergency evac."

Ani paced to the engine compartment. "Luke, come with me. If you're going to be a pilot one day, you need to know how to check out your ship. You don't want to find out something's wrong with her in space."

The young oby ran down the ramp to his father, watching as he pointed out the cabling on the engines, the flaps, the landing gear, and even the hull seams.

"Where are the guns?"

"Naboo is a peaceful planet. Their ships don't have weaponry of any kind."

"Well, what happens if someone chases us?"

"We run. Fortunately, this is one of the fastest ships ever manufactured." Anakin mussed Luke's hair. "Let's go see what your mother is up to in the cockpit."

* * *

Anakin and Luke stood side-by-side in the turbo lift. As it took them to the cockpit at the top of the ship, they felt the engines fire up, the vibrations shaking the small lift.

When the door opened on the bridge, Padmé stood behind the pilot's seat, flipping switches above her head. She turned back to the control panel before her. She quickly turned to the co-pilot's section and pressed a few more.

She smiled at Anakin. "Good, I could use a co-pilot." Padmé pointed to the seat. "She's warming up."

Anakin crossed the intervening space, heading toward the pilot's seat.

Padmé nudged him with her hips as he sat down. "Hey, this is my ship."

"Yes, but we'll never get past the blockade if I'm not flying her." A small chuckle emanated from the vocalizer. "Now, _I_ can use a co-pilot . . ."

Padmé laid her hand on his right arm, softly caressing it.

Luke could feel the love between his parents, could feel the strength his mother was passing to his father in that touch. He could feel his father's fear . . . fear that he would lose them both again.

Padmé sat down in the right-hand seat. "Luke, come sit with me, and I'll show you how this ship flies."

Anakin sputtered through his vocalizer. "I was going to teach the boy to fly."

The boy grinned at them. "Well, it's too late. I already know how to fly."

"A Skyhopper is vastly different from a TIE fighter, Luke."

Padmé chimed in. "Or even a Nubian yacht. Watch your father carefully as he launches." She reached over to her right, punching the coordinates for their destination into the hyperdrive.

Anakin pointed out the different controls. "These levers are for the vertical thrusters, and . . ."

Luke waved his hands over each lever. "Primary engines, secondaries, pitch, altitude. Yeah, I know. I told you, I know how to fly. If you'd just let me try, I could show you."

"No. Not today. Padmé, is the hyperdrive ready?"

Her eyes twinkled at her husband. "Aye, aye, Captain."

Vader pulled the microphone closer to his vocalizer. Before initiating communications, he warned Luke, "Not a word. We don't want them to be any more suspicious than they already are."

He nodded.

"Imperial Traffic Control, this is Nubian Yacht H-1 _Silver Streak_ requesting permission for launch."

A static-filled Imperial voice with Coruscanti accent said, "What is your cargo and destination?"

"Classified."

"Launch permission denied. Power down your engines, _Silver Streak_."

Vader tapped a few buttons into the communication console. "Code clearance vev-aurek-three-eight-dorn-esk-resh-six-two-one."

The officer's voice wavered. "My apologies, Lord Vader. Clearance granted."

Anakin pulled back on the controls, releasing the sleek craft into the atmosphere.

Once they had cleared the planet's gravity and had moved to the closest jump point, Padmé asked, "Luke, do you want to activate the hyperdrive?"

"Do I?" The boy's eyes widened, and a smile stretched across his small face.

"Press this square right here."

Luke put forth his hand, looked back and forth at both of his parents, and activated the hyperdrive. The stars all around them turned to streaks of blue before settling into the geometric blue planes of hyperspace.

Anakin asked, "How long until we reach Polis Massa?"

"Two days," Padmé stated as she checked the system for life-support settings and rations. "I'm afraid we've only got ration bars on board, though. Oxygen tanks are all at maximum. We're good for at least three months." She led them down to the crew quarters level in the midsection of the ship.

* * *

After Luke and she ate a bar and drank some water, she tucked the boy into a bunk in the cramped crew quarters. "Refresher is just down that passageway." Padmé pointed to her left.

"But where will you and Daddy be?" Fear slipped into the boy's voice.

His mother took his hand and caressed it with her thumb. "Shh, we'll be here, just belowdecks. If you need us, just call through that intercom right there." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

Anakin smiled as he watched mother and son together, regretting that he could never kiss those he loved.

* * *

Padmé took Anakin's hand and led him to the turbo lift.

"You're trembling," he said with wonder.

Padmé smiled. "You have that effect on me Anakin."

"From fear?"

"No, anticipation," Padmé said with a sultry low voice. She raised her eyebrows at him and gave him a sensual smile. She ran her hand up his right bicep. So far, that was the only flesh she had been able to feel under the armor. Her touch had the intended effect. "You're trembling, too." She laughed wickedly at her husband.

The door opened onto the vast queen's cabin, which extended the entire length of the ship. Padmé took Anakin by his hand and led him to the bed.

He sat on the end of the bed, an expanse of black against the backdrop of the white furnishings.

She pressed a few buttons on the cabin's control panel. A sharp click resounded as the cabin sealed and pressurized, followed by the hiss of increased ventilation output.

She stood in front of her husband, slowly removing her veil and headdress.

"Padmé," Anakin said, his voice cracking. "I can't do this. The suit."

"I know, my love, but I just want to be next to you. I want to feel you, know that you are real." She opened her mouth, popping her ears as the pressurization increased.

Anakin's breathing changed slightly, as he did the same. "You don't want this, Padmé."

She moved closer to her husband, kneeling on the bed beside him, reaching up to his mask. "Yes, Anakin, I do."

"I will revolt you. Please don't. I'd rather that you remember the way I used to look."

"Ani, I love what is inside, not this armor, not your flesh. I will never stop loving you, no matter what has happened or will happen." She ran her hand down his bicep. "Now, help me take this mask off."

"You have no idea what's inside. You don't want this. You don't know what I've done."

"The future is what matters, not the past."

"But I could do it again. I would do it again, to save you, to save Luke."

"Anakin, you know you won't. I don't have to be a Jedi to feel your conflict, your love. You are still the Chosen One. Redemption is always possible."

"You believe that? You trust me? Even after I killed you?"

" _You_ didn't kill me, Anakin." Padmé ran her fingers along the edge of the mask. "You weren't even yourself. Are the clones to blame for Order 66 because they were controlled by Sidious?"

"No."

"Then neither are you. I've had eight years to ponder it. You weren't the same person that night. Even your eyes were different. You weren't in control. Sidious was. Sidious is guilty, not you." She pursed her lips. "Over these last few days, you have been the Anakin I remember. Imposing, yes. Dictatorial, a bit. But loving. You love Luke. You love me. I think even Piett sees it."

Anakin nodded with a slight grin. "Poor Piett. I don't think he knows what to think."

"Oh, I think he does. I think he's your strongest ally in the Empire. His loyalty is as strong as Obi-Wan's. He'll help us." She tilted her head. "Now, if we're done with the pity party, take this helmet off."

Anakin hesitated, his hands half-raised.

Padmé leaned in and kissed his fingers, first on the right hand and then on the left. "Please, Anakin."

He depressed the buttons to release the seal. It popped and hissed.

Padmé placed her hands over Anakin's as they both lifted the helmet off. Padmé gasped as his mutilated face appeared.

Entirely bald, open wounds gaped on his left skull above his eye, along his left jaw, and along his neck. The white skin glistened with moisture that oozed from the wounds.

His piercing blue eyes now gleamed with tears—tears of shame, tears of pain, tears of love.

With hesitation, Padmé stretched forth her hand and stroked his right cheek.

He jerked back.

"I'm sorry, Anakin. Does it hurt?"

"No. You don't deserve this. Leave me." He turned his head in shame, the tears streaking his pasty skin.

She leaned across his chest, grabbing him by the respirator that sat on the lower half of his chin. She quickly moved her lips to his before he could pull away.

He stared at her, unsure of what to do.

Padmé sat back on her heels. "What? Do I disgust you, Anakin?"

"Never."

"Then kiss me back, Anakin, or have you forgotten how?"

He smoothed her hair back with his right hand and pulled her close to him, past his respirator.

Padmé lips were full and soft. His were thin and old before their time. But she never flinched, she never pulled back. She moved her hands down his suit, pulling at his shoulder armor.

Anakin grabbed her hands, softly massaging them. "I can't, Padmé. This suit controls more than my oxygen intake. I will die without it."

"You mean we can never . . ."

Anakin shook his head "no." "I'm more machine now than man, Padmé." Tears ran down his cheeks. "You deserve so much better."

She grabbed his cybernetic right hand as she pulled down the bed coverings. "The mind and the heart are still human, still my Ani. That is all that matters."

She moved her hand back to his face, tracing the borders of the open wounds—wounds that had oozed for eight years now. "Ani, why didn't you have Bacta treatments?"

"I did. For a few weeks. Sidious needed me before they finished, and now it is too late."

"These wounds have not healed. It may not be." Padmé pulled the covers over him. "Now rest. It's been a long day, and you hardly slept at all last night."

"I don't sleep well, Padmé. I'll keep you up all night."

"The dreams?"

"But this time . . ."

"Tell me, Ani. What are you dreaming?"

"Luke, years from now. I . . ." Anakin turned his head from his wife.

"What about Luke?"

"We fight. We duel. He's hanging off a gantry somewhere, and I cut off his hand. And then he falls away from me, rejecting me." Anakin's tears hit his mouth. "And in another Sidious is killing him with lightning. Padmé, I can't lose him, now that I have found him. I can't lose you."

"These dreams are warnings, Ani. Nothing more. Once we destroy Sidious, they will stop. You'll see." She stroked his cheek again, touching his flesh. _He needs touch. He needs to feel he's still human_. "Now, let me feel you wrapped around me, Ani. Let us have one night together with no worries, no concerns, only us."

* * *

Padmé woke to Ani thrashing in bed and yelling.

"No, no! I don't want to do that. That's not me." His left arm struck her in the chest with full power, leaving her bruised and gasping for breath. She pulled the covers off an knelt on the mattress beside him, shaking him.

"Ani, wake up. Wake up. It's me, Padmé. Wake up."

He sat up quickly in bed, his eyes wide with fear.

"Was it Luke again?"

Ani shook his head. "No. It was a young woman with chestnut hair wrapped in two buns like you wore many years before, but it wasn't you. She had your eyes, but I know it wasn't you. I think it was Leia. I was torturing my little girl." He sobbed. "I want to meet her, Padmé. I want to see her. If I know her, I will never hurt her."

Padmé stroked his face softly, wiping his tears with the sleeve of her gown. "Oh, Ani, I want to meet her, too."


	19. Chapter 18 - Polis Massa

**CHAPTER 18—POLIS MASSA**

When the _Silver Streak_ docked on Polis Massa Space Station, Padmé and Luke bundled up Anakin in a large, white blanket, draping it over his black armor.

To complete the disguise, Padmé sent Luke onto the station to retrieve a hover chair. The medical center expected them, but they did not know the identity of their patient.

The space station sat in the middle of the Polis Massa asteroid mining colony. It began as a medical center for mining accidents, but over the years it had become a haven for those who wanted complete discretion about their medical issues.

For everything from delivering Force-sensitive babies whose parents feared their children would be killed at birth to rehabilitation of Spice addicts, Polis Massa was known for its discretion. Most importantly, the space station claimed some of the most advanced medical facilities and doctors in the galaxy.

Padmé in her handmaiden ombre uniform and Luke in the Nubian security blue-and-maroon uniform guided the hover chair into the medical center.

A human doctor met them in the receiving area. Dr. Cantoro led them into an examination room where two medical droids and a human med tech awaited. "Welcome, Lady Quemé, and . . ."

"Discretion, doctor, utmost discretion from this point forward." She waited for the doctor's acknowledgment. "The patient has no records here. He has received inadequate treatment at an Imperial facility for injuries sustained in the lava flows of Mustafar eight years ago. We would like a complete examination of the cybernetics, life support systems, internal organs, and unhealed flesh wounds of . . ." She removed the white blanket hiding the dark suit. ". . . Anakin Skywalker."

Dr. Cantoro took in a deep breath and looked at her med tech, a gigantic Sanyassian named Wertho. Cantoro said with a sigh, "This is not how I thought this day was going to go. Very well. If you and the boy will excuse us . . ."

Anakin stiffened in the hover chair as his helmet swiveled to Padmé. Luke grabbed his left hand in comfort. The Sith Lord rumbled. "They stay."

He reached forth his right hand to emphasize his demand, but his wife grabbed it in her hand and lowered it to his side.

She shook her head slightly at him. "It will be okay. We're not going anywhere."

"Very well, if you wouldn't mind moving to the examination table, Lor—Master Skywalker . . . or do you require assistance?" The doctor pursed her lips together.

"I am perfectly capable." Anakin moved from the chair, leaving the white blanket behind, and sat on the padded examination table.

The med tech flicked a few switches on a control panel at the rear of the chamber. The room clicked, sealing the airspace. Oxygen flowed into the small room, filling the air with its odd odor.

As they waited for the pressure to increase, the doctor asked, "I see you have an older model life-support unit. Do you know exactly what it manages?"

"It maintains my heart rate, and the respirator maintains my breathing. My lungs are scarred from the fumes on Mustafar."

"And where are your cybernetics?"

"My right forearm and hand were installed fourteen years ago after they were severed in a lightsaber duel. It attaches at the elbow. My entire left arm and both legs were installed eight years ago after they were burned in the lava." Anakin motioned to each in turn.

"Have you noticed any problems with the prosthetics?"

"Except for the right arm, I am in constant pain. I have phantom pains as well, feeling injuries to body parts that don't exist anymore. My lungs burn when I breathe, as well."

One of the medical droids spoke in its mechanical voice, "Full pressurization has been reached. Oxygen is at one hundred percent."

Dr. Cantoro said, "Thank you, One-Bee. Please remove his helmet so that we can see what's going on under there."

After the droid had removed the helmet, Anakin turned his eyes on his son once again—the second time in his life he had seen him with his own eyes. It took his eyes a little bit of time to adjust to the brightness of the room, but then he turned to Padmé as a smile formed on his lips.

Dr. Cantoro checked his pupil response with a pen light.

The med tech pressed a recessed button behind him, and an eye chart descended out of the ceiling. "Can you read the third line for me?"

"Forn, dorn, vev, resh, kresh."

"Good," the doctor said. She then held up the back of her datapad to Anakin's left eye, covering it. "Now read with your right eye the fourth line."

"Trill, senth, jenth, qek, mern."

"And the fifth line with your left eye." Dr. Cantoro moved the datapad in front of his other eye.

"Grek, krill, leth, aurek, thesh."

"Very good. Your eyesight is perfect. At least one thing is working properly. Now, the medical droids are going to emit sounds at different frequencies. Indicate which ear you hear the sound in, if you hear any at all." The doctor adjusted ear cuffs around the respirator base.

* * *

After Dr. Cantoro and her staff had completed the basic tests, she said, "I want to remove your cybernetics and test them. I also think the more recent ones were attached incorrectly, connecting to the wrong nerves. I will need to sedate you."

"No," Anakin moaned.

Padmé grabbed his hand. "If you must, then do so. Ani, I'll be here. I'm not leaving. I'll help you through this. Luke will help you through this."

"I cannot proceed without the patient's approval."

Padmé hardened her face. "Well, I'm his wife."

Both the doctor and the med tech looked at Anakin and then at Padmé.

"Don't I get a say?" she asked.

The doctor shook her head.

"As long as you and Luke stay with me, I will do this for you." Anakin reclined on the table, his prosthetic legs clanging as they hit the metal table.

The medical droids rolled over to the large man, administering large doses of anesthetics.

Anakin drifted off to oblivion, his eyes gazing at his loving wife.

Medical Droid Two-Three-Bee said, "The patient is unconscious. Procedures may begin."

Padmé said, "Sedation always brings on the Force-visions. Please restrain him to the table."

Three-Bee pushed a button on the end of the examination table, causing four straps to slither over the torso.

The doctor removed the life support trousers while Padmé and Luke scrubbed their hands and arms and donned surgical gloves and masks.

* * *

Hours passed as the doctor and her team worked. Two other doctors joined her when she began work on the life support unit.

Anakin's torso thrashed as the dreams assaulted him.

Padmé kept a gloved hand on Ani's head, but he could not feel her.

Luke could feel his terror, could see his dream. He did not know who the young man in the dream was, but it felt like he was experiencing the entire nightmare himself. The boy moved beside his mother and placed his hand on his father's forehead, sending his love to him.

His father calmed at the touch of his son. Luke looked up at his mother, who nodded at him in encouragement.

They remained like that for hours, legs and feet cramping, but neither Padmé nor Luke would take a break.

At one point, the medical team connected Anakin to a heart bypass machine, sending his blood through it for oxygenating. The bypass machine kept the man alive while doctors analyzed the heart and lungs with special scopes.

* * *

A few hours later, the doctors reattached Anakin's limbs, carefully selecting the correct nerves. They reversed the heart bypass, stitching the hole in his chest and affixing a Bacta gel patch over the opening.

Padmé and Luke never released their touch, not even when the doctors completed the procedures.

"We are going to revive him now," Dr. Cantoro said. "You may want to move away. This is never a pleasant experience, let alone for a Jedi."

Padmé glared at the doctor. "I'll take my chances. And, please, before you wake him, remove the restraints. It will be worse for us all if he wakes up restrained."

"That is not standard procedure—"

"I don't care. Release him." Padmé's glare could have stopped charging banthas in their tracks.

Dr. Cantoro nodded to the med tech in the corner. "Very well, but I sure hope you know what you're doing."

The med tech punched a few buttons on the table controls. The restraining straps unfastened and slithered back under the examination table.

As the med droid injected Anakin with the sedative blocker, the man twisted and turned in agony.

Padmé and Luke continued to stroke his head, whispering to him.

Immediately Anakin's eyes popped open. He sat up. "Padmé!"

Padmé slid beside him, holding his face in her hands. "I'm here. I'm here, Ani. Luke's here, too. We're all okay. You came through this okay."

"How are you feeling, Master Skywalker?" Dr. Cantoro asked.

Anakin closed his eyes to the glare of the bright lights. He knew he was dressed in his suit, but his limbs felt different. "Better. Not so much pain."

"Your limbs have been reattached, properly this time. But these are old units. I've ordered new ones for you. They should be here in a week or two."

The doctor checked the meters on his life-support suit. "Your heart seems to be functioning normally, provided it receives adequate oxygen. Your lungs are another issue altogether. A human-to-human lung transplant will have its problems, as your body will reject it eventually. But there is a new procedure I would like to try before we try a transplant."

Anakin glared at the doctor. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be your test case?"

"You aren't wrong. This procedure has only be successful once before, and I won't attempt unless we have matching lung transplant organs available, just in case we have to abort the procedure midway."

A display screen descended from the ceiling. It sprang to life with an image of Anakin's lungs.

"You see here, the lung linings are covered in scar tissue, but the bronchia are in good condition. Because the scar tissue is less than a tenth of a centimeter thick, I propose that we slice away the affected tissue and apply Bacta treatments to the lining. Once the new cells have sprouted, breathing should return to normal. If not, we will proceed with a lung transplant."

"When would we do this?" Anakin's voice shook with uncertainty.

"When we have a lung donor available. I took biopsies while we were working on the bypass. We should have a donor by the time your new limbs are ready."

"What does this mean? Will I have to wear this suit anymore if the surgery is successful? The respirator? The mask?"

Dr. Cantoro hesitated with a frown. "There is only a twenty-five percent chance that either procedure will remove the need for your suit. I'm also concerned about your head injuries that have not healed."

"They itch." Anakin raised his hand to his helmet, frustrated when he was unable to scratch.

"We applied a Bacta solution while you were out. If the lung surgery is successful, eliminating your need for a respirator and life-support suit, I would like to submit you to a Bacta tank for a week. I think your entire body would benefit from the treatment, even facilitating the attachment of the new appendages."

 _A life without the suit. A life without pain._ _Maybe._ Anakin caught the hope in Padmé's eyes. He nodded briefly. _Anything for her._ "Very well. We will return in a week." Anakin paused, breathing two revolutions before speaking again. "Thank you, doctor. You've given me hope."

"Sometimes that's all we need, Master Skywalker. I warn you, though, that whoever worked on you eight years ago almost killed you. Your life support unit has been pumping poison through your body, and your limbs are recycled droid parts, not true cybernetics. You have been victim of eight years of torture. I recommend caution."

Anakin hung his head low, his eyes flashing red in anger at his master. _Sidious, you've done this. You told me the pain would focus my power, but I know now, Master. I feel your fear. You are afraid, because I will be more powerful than you. I'm coming for you, Master. Once I am healed, I am coming for you. And I promise you one thing, you will not survive, even if it costs me my life._ Vader propelled the thoughts through the intervening space between himself and his master on Coruscant.

Luke felt the anger and the rage emanating from his father. He slid beside him and crawled on the examination table next to him, resting his head on his father's shoulder armor. "It will be all right, Daddy. Don't be angry. We can do this the Jedi way."

Padmé moved next to the other side of her husband and grabbed his right hand. "Listen to your son, Anakin."


	20. Chapter 19 - A Truly Powerful Master

**CHAPTER 19—A TRULY POWERFUL MASTER**

"Go strap yourself in, Luke," Anakin said, struggling with the yacht's controls as it plummeted through the wind and rain. "This is going to be a rough landing!"

"My scopes only show water, Ani." Padmé flicked a few switches on her console, preparing for a water landing.

"Just stay on course. I can feel him." His voice betrayed his intense concentration.

As the craft bounced up-and-down in the turbulence, with visibility at zero and lightning striking all around it, Anakin brought the ship down in the middle of a swamp. Trees intermingled with vines surrounded a small hut with a solitary light burning inside.

The trio waited for the turbo lift to descend. The lift doors slid aside, revealing the small, green figure of Grand Jedi Master Yoda, his gnarled gimer stick in his right hand. "Anakin. A surprise this is. A pleasant surprise. Welcome."

"Master Yoda." Anakin kneeled in reverence. "I need your help."

"My help you will have as long as you seek the light, Anakin. Hmm, what's this? Your son, I think?" Yoda pointed his cane at Luke, who stared in wonder at the small creature. "The Force is strong with you, Young Skywalker. Very strong. Maybe strong enough to save your father. Padmé, right you were to bring him to me."

She said, "Master Yoda, we need your help if we are to face Sidious."

"Oh, Sidious! Help you will need. Yes, yes, help you I will. But first, we must eat. Come with me. Hmm." Yoda hobbled down the ramp into the rain, trudging through the mud to his hut.

* * *

The green Jedi Master ladled stew into bowls for each of his guests, crushing herbs on top as a garnish.

Anakin barely fit inside the small hut. If it had not been for the recent work on his legs at Polis Massa, he may have never fit inside. At least now his knees could bend while his hips rotated, allowing him to sit cross-legged and hunch-backed on the floor with his wife and son. He was not comfortable, but he always felt a certain peace in Master Yoda's presence.

As they ate, Luke slurped his meal quickly.

Padmé said, "Luke, slow down. You'll burn your tongue, and you're dribbling soup all down your tunic."

"Yes, Mother." He dabbed himself with a napkin.

"Hmm, alone leave him. My cooking he likes," Yoda said with a whimsical smile as he hurried to the pot to get Luke another bowl. "Always hungry Padawan are. Always hungry."

Anakin laughed a little. "I seem to recall you were always complaining that we were consuming more resources than the rest of the Jedi Order all together."

"Hmm, so wrong was I, Anakin?" Yoda sat in front of him with his own soup. "One does not invalidate the other." The wizened Jedi Master stood, gazing into the eye lenses of Anakin's mask. "Much have you still to learn, Young One. Much to learn."

"I'm not here for lessons, Master Yoda, but for your help."

"Help you I will, if—" Yoda started, holding his gimer stick up to emphasize his point, "If you will unlearn what you have learned and follow the Jedi way."

Anakin hung his head down. Padmé turned her head, reaching out for her husband's arm. Luke stopped slurping to stare at his father.

"I'm not sure if I can do that, Master Yoda. Some things are hard to let go," Anakin murmured.

"That is why you fail. It is why you always failed." Yoda waved his hand in front of Anakin. "Long ago I told you that you must teach yourself to let go of those things you fear losing the most. Until you can do that, the Emperor's pawn always will you be."

Yoda turned, allowing Anakin to stew over his teaching. He took their bowls back to his tiny kitchen. Then he turned and spoke again as the flames from his cooking fire lit up his face. "Anakin, decide you this day whom you will follow. There is no half-way. One side leads to freedom with self-control, the other only to bondage."

"It is my experience that they both are bondage." Anakin's eyes flared with hatred.

Padmé gently squeezed his arm. "Ani."

"No, the Jedi require a sacrifice of all that makes you human. Well, I may have a droid's limbs, but I am still human. I still have my mind and my heart. I still have emotions, Padmé. They burn through me as much as the lava of Mustafar ever did. I don't understand how the Jedi can demand the denial of everything that makes you a living creature. If you don't love, you have no compassion."

"Permitted love is," Yoda said. "Always permitted."

Padmé pulled back in shock.

"Jealousy is not. Fear of losing someone is not. Pride is not. Servants we are of the galaxy, not of ourselves. Young I was when marriage was permitted in the Jedi Order. Changed it was when Jedi chose the safety of their families over the greater good."

He moved in closer to Anakin, shoving his face within centimeters of his mask. "Your own choice must you make, and make it before I will help you. If your own feelings you will not sacrifice, your family may be used against you. Willing to take this risk, are you?"

Anakin looked to both Luke and Padmé.

"Know this, if choose the Jedi way you do, you must forsake all that you have clung to in these last eight years—the hate, the anger, the suffering. One chance only there will be to take out Sidious. With your fears will he tempt you."

Anakin scooted toward the door, hitting his helmet on the low ceiling. "I must meditate about this before I give you my answer."

"Very wise, Anakin. Here I will be when your decision is made," Yoda said. "Training Young Skywalker."

Anakin turned back to the Jedi Master, removing the lightsaber he had taken from Obi-Wan on Tatooine. "Train him, please. Start with deflecting Force-lightning, Master Yoda."

"My own counsel will I keep on how—" Yoda stopped mid-speech, looking at Anakin closely. "Visions you've had. See them I do. Remember, Anakin, always in motion is the future. Do not let them cloud your judgment."

"I understand." Anakin exited the tiny hut.

Padmé followed Master Yoda and Luke out to the swamp. The rain had stopped for the time being, but the muddy clay sucked at their boots and clung to their clothing.


	21. Chapter 20 - Decisions

**CHAPTER 20—DECISIONS**

Padmé shivered in the damp as Grand Jedi Master Yoda instructed her son. The boy sat on the ground, eagerly absorbing every word from the little, green creature with the large, pointy ears and multiple chins.

As one of the leaders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Padmé had visited Dagobah a few times in the last few years. She and Obi-Wan were the only two who knew where Yoda maintained his exile.

She wondered now if she should have brought Anakin here. If he chose the wrong path, then it would not be long before the Emperor, Darth Sidious, would hunt down and kill the ancient Jedi Master.

"Focus, Young Skywalker. Bring your thoughts under control. Focus only on the Force. Feel it move through you and out of you, binding everything around you—me, that tree, this rock, even your mother." Yoda taught with a wisdom that spanned almost a millennium.

Luke's boyish soprano voice flowed with wonder. "It's like ribbons. I do see it. I do feel it." He pulled his hands in, gathering as much as he could.

"Release it now, Young Skywalker. If you have no specific use, free it must be."

The boy flung his hands, tossing it away, but he quickly moaned and howled in pain, rolling into a ball on the ground, holding his knees to his chest. "No!"

Padmé ran over to him, holding her son. "Shh, Luke, it's all right. It's not real." She rubbed his back, trying to get him to focus on anything but the Force-vision. "Luke, open your eyes. It's not real."

Her son thrashed on the ground until Yoda put his hand on the boy's forehead, placing him in a Force-trance. He collapsed into the mud, still but breathing.

"What was that?"

"Anakin. His father's pain the boy feels. Connected are they."

"That's what Anakin is experiencing?"

"And worse. Coming to terms with things he has done." Yoda's face dropped in sadness. "Atrocities these last eight years have filled his life. Atrocities that cannot be reversed. Much terror they have caused."

"He's done them at the command of the Emperor. Master Yoda, Anakin's been under a spell. These last few days, he has not been the same monster that has done those atrocities."

"But those atrocities he has done, spell or not. Shaded his life with darkness have they. The darkness does not want to leave."

"Can you break this spell he is under?"

Yoda shook his head. "Willingly submitted he to the power of the dark side. Willingly must he break free of it."

The Jedi Master moved to Luke, picked up the boy with the Force to move him inside the hut. Padmé followed as Yoda continued.

"If choose the light he does, Padmé, no guarantee that the Alliance will accept him or trust him ever again."

"I understand."

"If stay with him you do, no longer trust you will they either. Or Luke. Or even Leia."

"Only Bail and Breha know she's mine—and Obi-Wan." Padmé bit her top lip, thinking through the implications.

"Maybe only they should ever know."

Yoda covered Luke with a blanket and sat by the fire. He gazed at Padmé. He suddenly bowed his head, closing his eyes, communing with the Force.

"Master Yoda? What's wrong?"

"Deciding he is. Uncertain he is. Afraid he is to leave his master. Afraid his master will hurt you and Luke if he does."

A howl of grief emanated from the ship, reaching Padmé's soul. Even she could feel the anguish and despair. She feared the darkness that overwhelmed him.

* * *

Clutching her cloak around her arms, Padmé hurried out of the hut and ran up the ramp to the ship. "Anakin!" When she reached him, she grabbed the hilt of the red blade in his hand. Her small limbs were no match for his strength. "Please, don't. Not this way! I love you, Anakin!"

He stopped his movements and mumbled, "Leave me. This is the only way. If I am gone, then you may have a good life with Luke and Leia. The Emperor will never find you if you stay here with Yoda. He is strong enough to protect you."

"No! Anakin, now that you've come back to me, I can't live without you."

"You don't need an invalid, an evil monster, who has done so many wicked thing . . . I am so ashamed, Padmé," he said with a sob. "It is either continue down this path of evil or not be able to face myself each day knowing what I've done."

She laid her hands on top of his on the lightsaber, holding it with him, the blade extended to his left. "Anakin, you would do this to your son? You would take away his father—the father he loves? It would kill him."

"He doesn't want a father like me. Go run off with Obi-Wan and give him a hero for a father." His statement lost power as he finished.

"Still jealous of Obi-Wan? Anakin, I never loved Obi-Wan, only you. He was our friend—he knew about us for years, and yet he kept our secret from everyone. He even knew you were the father. Without him, Anakin, Luke and Leia would not have survived."

"Yeah, well, he left me to burn in lava, hoping I would die. You left me to burn, Padmé. You ran off with him." Anakin curled up in a ball.

"You're not even making sense now." Padmé wrapped her fingers around Anakin's right thumb, putting pressure on the power switch to the blade. If Anakin had been the least bit resistant, she would have never moved the thumb.

As the blade deactivated, she said, "I was dying, Anakin. I _died_ that day. Master Yoda pulled me back from the netherworld. It almost killed him. Yoda told me that day that he brought me back for _you_ , because you still needed me."

Padmé paused for a moment. "I was so worried about you that day, as I am right now. Anakin, you can't change the past, but we can change the future. We can change the future for Luke and for Leia. But we can't do it without you."

She extricated the lightsaber from his hands and set it on the deck next to them.

Anakin breathed a few cycles, his respirator keeping time with the ship's life support systems. "My Master's bond is too strong."

Padmé called his bluff. "It's not. What's holding you back, Anakin?"

He turned his helmet to her face and bent his head down, looking her in the eye through his red lenses. "The lies. I've been lied to so often I don't even know what is truth anymore. I'm so tired of the lies and the deception. How am I to make a decision based on lies? Even now, you are withholding something from me."

Padmé closed her eyes and bit her lip before she spoke. "You're right."

Anakin jerked his head up quickly at her, his back tensing, lifting an arm toward her as if he might choke her, but he stopped himself.

She grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers in his. "The truth. I am Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker, and I love you."

He pulled his fingers away, and pointed at her. "Tell me what you are hiding, unless you were lying about Obi-Wan—"

"No, not about Obi-Wan. Never about Obi-Wan." She took a deep breath. "The whole truth. Anakin, I'm not just a handmaiden to the Queen of Naboo."

He lifted his head, leaning in to hear her every word.

"I am also the Nubian Leader of the Rebel Alliance." She winked at him. "I am the spy you're looking for."

"This is no time for games, Padmé."

She tilted her head and smiled, crawling beside the black form sitting on the deck. She wormed her head under his right arm, resting it on his chest. "I'm not playing, Anakin. You captured the spy twenty-four years ago, and my heart has been yours since the day that we met."

Anakin tilted his head down. "You're really the Nubian Rebel Leader?"

"You caught me." Padmé gave him her devastating smile. "Are you going to turn me in?"

"No, of course not, but that does change things." Anakin stroked her hair as he focused his eyes on the bulkhead beyond them. "If I do choose the Jedi Way, will the Rebel Alliance accept me?"

"Probably not."

He looked at the deck, breathing deeply. "What would they do to you and Luke?"

"Ostracize us. Master Yoda has already offered to hide us here."

"And Leia?"

"Only Bail and Breha know she's mine. We wouldn't have to tell anyone. It would be safer for her that way."

Padmé felt his measured breathing and the tension in his torso. "Ani, I've seen a difference in you these last few days. Don't waste this chance. If you stay with the Sith, the Emperor will take Luke, and he will torture me to keep you under control. Is that what you want?"

"I cannot resist my master." Anakin pulled his arm away from her.

His wife sat up, twisting to face him again. " _You_ have to make the decision, Anakin. You willingly chose this path of evil. You must willingly choose to leave it. Only then can Master Yoda help you. If Master Yoda can bring me back from death, don't you think he can protect you from Sidious?"

Anakin sat there, silent except for the twenty breathing cycles that passed.

She remained silent, allowing him to think over the decision he had to make, knowing that if he chose the evil path, she would lose him forever and her son.

He stood up and grabbed his lightsaber. He strode down the loading ramp quickly, heading toward the tiny hut, leaving Padmé in his wake.

Master Yoda stood in front of his door with his small arms crossed over his chest.

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, knelt in front of Grand Jedi Master Yoda. He placed his red lightsaber in front of Master Yoda on the damp soil.

"I hereby renounce the way of the Sith and my allegiance to the Galactic Empire and Emperor Sheev Palpatine, the Sith Master known as Darth Sidious. I choose the way of the light, knowing that only through it will I find true freedom, not only for myself but also for the rest of the galaxy. I renounce the name Darth Vader and the title Lord of the Sith, reclaiming my true name, Anakin Skywalker, and my true title, The Chosen One. I submit myself to be the servant of the Force to fulfill my destiny—to bring balance to the Force."

Yoda laid his hands on Anakin's shoulders, sending the Force coursing through the large man until an audible snap sounded.

The large man's back relaxed as the binding ties were broken.

"The right decision have you made, Anakin. Only with the combined strength of the surviving Jedi Masters can we eliminate this scourge of evil from the galaxy for good."


	22. Chapter 21 - Brothers

**CHAPTER 21—BROTHERS**

For the next three days, Master Yoda trained Luke and Anakin to use the Force to hide themselves from the Force-sensitive. While they could not keep up the Force-shield for long periods, this technique would allow Anakin to approach Sidious unannounced. It would also hide Luke from the Emperor's eye should Anakin fail.

Yoda conceded to Anakin's request and trained Luke in the most basic lightsaber form— _Shii-Cho_. Using a scarf tied around Luke's eyes and using Master Yoda's shorter lightsaber, Luke fought against a training remote. The boy learned the truth in the Jedi Master's wisdom, "With all learning, there comes pain," as he was shocked repeatedly by the device.

Yoda pulled the remote to himself and deactivated it. "Enough for today, Young Skywalker. Now must your father and I train."

The small green being held out his hand for his lightsaber.

Luke deactivated it and handed it courteously to his master.

"Out of the way." Yoda lit his saber and pulled into the opening stance for the acrobatic form _Ataru_.

Anakin breathed heavily when he realized what Yoda wanted to do. _Doesn't he realize I won't be able to keep up with these mechanicals?_

"So certain are you that you will fail? What will happen when you face Sidious? Do you think he will pull back? Not likely. Reach out and pull the Force. What your limbs cannot do, the Force can."

The little green master leaped into the air, spun above Anakin, and struck at the blue blade.

Anakin pulled on the blade, blocking the strike above his left shoulder just in time.

 _I've forgotten how fast he is. How did I ever think I would be a better swordsman than he? Anakin, you are a fool._

He shot a quick glance at Luke, making sure he was out of the way. The boy sat on a fallen tree, his eyes wide as he watched the sparring.

 _Great, I just hope Master Yoda doesn't take me out so quickly that I lose all credibility with my son._

He swung his blade down behind his back to deflect the attack and then swiveled with a diagonal strike at the Jedi Master.

Yoda easily avoided the strike, flipping away with the Force.

The battle continued for many minutes until a ship landing near the _Silver Streak_ interrupted them _._ The ship's engines roared through the swamp and sent debris flying around the small group.

Yoda extinguished his saber and waited for their visitor.

Anakin motioned to Luke to hide inside.

As the ramp lowered, a familiar voice resounded. "Master Yoda, I do believe this is the first time I haven't had to land in a raging storm. You must be slipping."

Glaring at the visitor, Anakin crossed his arms across his chest, his lightsaber hilt still gripped in his hand.

"Hmm, perhaps. Perhaps I did not want to pull your ship out of the swamp again, Obi-Wan. Hmm?"

"What is he doing here?" Anakin gestured with his blue saber at Obi-Wan.

"Help we need. Help he is."

"Hello, Anakin."

"Your help is neither wanted nor requested."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms across his chest, planting his feet as he stood ten meters from Anakin. "I am not here for you. I am here at Master Yoda's request."

"If you think—" Anakin gathered the Force and flew toward Obi-Wan.

Yoda raised his green hands, separating the two and holding them in the air for a long moment. He slowly lowered them back on the ground apart from each other. "Enough. For many years misconceptions have ruled your hearts. End today they will."

Both men glared at each other.

Yoda gestured with his hands, grabbing the sabers from both men. "Your weapons you will not need."

The aged Jedi Master motioned for them to sit. "Talk you must. Heal old wounds. Brothers you are. Mistakes both have made."

Anakin tilted his head in frustration but then reigned his anger in.

Obi-Wan stepped forward with hesitation.

The tension was palpable between them. Neither seemed ready to trust the other.

As Anakin caught a movement inside the hut, he turned his head toward the window. Padmé stood there, watching the men. She closed her eyes and swallowed in anguish.

Obi-Wan uncrossed his arms and held out his right hand toward the dark man. "Anaki—"

Turning his back to the man, Anakin cut him off. "There is nothing that you can say that—"

"I was wrong, Anakin."

Anakin turned back to Obi-Wan, tilting his head.

After a few seconds of silence, Obi-Wan continued. "But so were you."

Anakin nodded his head in acceptance of that statement. "Is that it? You think that admitting you were wrong will change anything, Obi-Wan? The problem isn't in what you did but in how you did it. Nothing has changed. You are still just as deceitful as you always were—seducing my wife, hiding my children, betraying me."

"Seducing your wife, Anakin? Trust me if I were going to leave the Jedi Order, it would have been for Satine, not Padmé." He could not hold back a cynical smile. "That suit must really have done a number on your brain cells."

"Fine, make jokes at my expense, after all, you were the one who left me to die, to burn." Anakin stepped closer to Obi-Wan, towering over him.

Kenobi raised his hands, creating a protective barrier around himself. "I warn you, Anakin, you come any closer, and you will leave Padmé a widow and your children orphans. Is that what you want?"

Anakin took a few breaths and backed down, moving a few steps away. "So why are you even here?"

Kenobi released his barrier and hesitantly stepped closer to Anakin. "For you. For my brother. If I had known you would live like this . . ." He hung his head low and whispered hoarsely, "Anakin, I thought you would die when I left you. I just couldn't administer the death blow . . . I was a coward, and because of my cowardice you have spent eight hellish years in agony as a slave to the Sith. I'd want to kill me, too, if I were in your place."

Anakin's muscles relaxed. He turned his head and walked a pace away from his old master. "I often think back to Mustafar . . . to how I could come to hate you so much that we would fight like that. You're telling me the truth now? About Padmé?"

Obi-Wan took in a deep breath before stepping close to Anakin. He grabbed Anakin's hands and placed them on his temples. "Discover the truth, Anakin. Take it from my mind."

"Memories can be manufactured." Anakin remembered how he had deceived the Emperor just a few days ago on Naboo.

"That is not the Jedi way."

"Neither is telling half-truths and deceiving your friends. Obi-Wan, it was your lies that confused me. I still don't know who to trust."

"Start here. Please."

Anakin nodded his head and entered into Obi-Wan's brain, sifting through images and memories. He pulled every one he could find of Padmé. Each rang true. Obi-Wan was telling the truth, for once. "I'm sorry. Why didn't we do this on Mustafar?"

"I hid so many things then, Anakin, so many things I would have been ashamed for you to know. My love for Satine was one of them. I knew that every word I said to you about your relationship with Padmé would hold no weight if you knew of my personal attachment for the duchess."

Anakin looked at him, tilting his head in compassion. This was a side he had never seen before of Obi-Wan.

"I also knew about the Jedi Council trying to control you. You were right—they were holding you back. You scared them. They were afraid you would be more powerful than all of them together. And they were right."

Obi-Wan swallowed and breathed a few cycles before his next revelation. "And when we were on Mustafar . . . you would have known that Master Yoda had ordered me to kill you."

"Master Yoda?"

Obi-Wan nodded his head. "You can ask him yourself. He was going to do it, but he did not think I was strong enough to defeat Sidious on my own."

Anakin sat on a log nearby, holding his head in his hands, not sure what to do next. _If Master Yoda was ready to kill me, why hasn't he killed me yet? Is he waiting for the right moment? Is this all another deceitful plot?_

Yoda interjected from the porch of his hut, "Told you, did he? Told you, I should have. Forgive me, Anakin."

"But why haven't you both killed me now?"

Obi-Wan sat next to Anakin and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You are still the Chosen One. Only you can destroy Sidious and bring balance to the Force. And, I have hope that you can be my brother again."

Yoda hobbled on his gimer stick to the pair. "Yes, Obi-Wan is right. But wrong have we been in thinking that by destroying the Sith we will bring balance. In order to bring balance, Anakin, _you_ must be in balance. Equally filled with both the light . . . and the dark. Our mistake was not trusting you to wield them _both_ fairly."

Obi-Wan tensed at that statement. "Master Yoda, you must know what a risk that will be. No one person has ever been able to truly balance both sides of the Force."

"As the Chosen One, he must . . . and he will."

"But how? Surely, you won't condone my killing people for no reason at all."

"No, but when were you the most powerful? Think back, twelve years."

"Mortis."

"Yes, and how did you defeat both the light and the dark?"

"By using the light against the dark and the dark against the light, but I had reason to do both—Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were being held capt—"

"But why? Why was that important? Why could you do it?" Yoda pointed his gimer stick at Skywalker.

"Because I was the Chosen One, the only one who could."

"And?"

Obi-Wan said, "If you hadn't, the Daughter and the Son would have ripped the fabric of the universe apart."

Yoda gestured to Kenobi. "Obi-Wan sees clearly. By bringing balance to the Force, peace in the galaxy you will create. When both light and dark are equal, no more wars will there be."

"I disagree," Anakin said. "Light and dark being equal will not eliminate wars. It will only bring an interminable stalemate upon the galaxy, with an undercurrent of tension threatening to break out into war if one side gains advantage. That is what happened on Mortis. And I was not the one that brought that to an end. The Father did, by sacrificing himself."

Anakin paced across the clearing. "Besides, I don't think I could truly _balance_ the Force. There are the Inquisitors. There are my children. There are my masters. Eliminating Sidious will not change it all. And I will not kill my children, nor my masters. I am far too attached to you all."

Yoda held up his gimer stick, poking the air in front of him. "And that is the part of the dark side you must embrace—love."

Anakin looked up, seeing Padmé's face in the window of the hut. Then he looked back at Obi-Wan on the log.

Obi-Wan stood and crossed to Anakin, taking the large man into an embrace. "Brother."

Anakin wrapped his arms around his former master. "Brother."


	23. Chapter 22 - Jedi Trances

**CHAPTER 22—JEDI TRANCES**

The next morning as Anakin fired up the _Silver Streak_ , Padmé showed Luke how to program the navacomputer for Polis Massa. "These coordinates have to be manually inserted, as the medical center is not listed on any of the charts, Luke. We start with the quadrant, and then the three numbers that follow indicate the exact location."

Luke looked on the device with wonder. "So it figures out where it is and takes us there directly?"

Anakin laughed. He tapped in a few commands, and a holographic projection of the universe appeared in the cockpit. He pointed to threads that seemed to be lined up haphazardly throughout the galaxy. "No, Luke, we'd fly right through a star or get too close to a supernova. There are hyperspace lanes mapped throughout the galaxy. The navacomputer will determine which lanes to take, switching us as we reach junctions."

Anakin lifted the _Silver Streak_ into space.

"Oh, I see. What if you don't have a navacomputer?"

"You would have an astromech droid then. They can usually plot hyperspace travel one route at a time," Anakin said. "Unless it was Artoo. He was faster than most navacomputers during the war. I wonder what ever happened to him."

"Bail has him and Threepio. They are serving on his consular ship, the _Tantive IV_ ," a voice from the turbo lift said.

The family turned to see not only Obi-Wan standing at the entrance to the turbo lift but Master Yoda as well with a small bag in his hand. "Decided have I. Coming with you, we are."

Padmé said, "The procedures could take weeks, Master Yoda."

"Hmm, and weeks sedated for a Jedi not good."

"While Master Yoda and I are not full Jedi healers, we can keep Anakin in a trance instead of sedation. One of us will be with him the entire time, while the other protects Luke." Obi-Wan gave a tense smile.

Anakin asked, "Really? You don't have to."

Yoda said, "Yes, we must. Our brother you are."

"Anakin, does the Emperor know where you are going? Is there any chance—" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin cut him off. "There is always a chance, but I'm not so foolish to ignore precautions. Before we left, my aide procured decoys for Padmé and Luke. To the average observer, they never left Naboo. And I created a false memory to convince Sidious that I was headed to Ryloth to follow up a lead. The only person who knows the truth is my aide, and I would trust him with my life."

Obi-Wan sat in a command seat behind Padmé.

Since Luke was in the communications seat behind Anakin, Master Yoda was left standing. Padmé corrected this lack of protocol. "Luke, give your seat to Master Yoda. You can sit with me."

The boy hopped out of the seat and climbed into his mother's lap. As the adults discussed their plans for the Emperor and his father's upcoming procedures, Luke he and snuggled against his mother. Padmé smoothed his hair, singing to him softly while the Jedi discussed their strategy.

* * *

When they arrived at the med center two days later, Luke hurried off the ship and grabbed a hover chair and large white blanket again.

The entire contingent of the former Queen of Naboo, the Grand Jedi Master, the Great Negotiator, and a little farmer boy pushed the hulking bulk of Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear, to his operating theater.

Padmé and Luke insisted on staying until Anakin had entered the healing trance. Master Yoda would stay with him for the first twelve hours. Then Obi-Wan would relieve him.

It did not take long for the trance to take away Anakin's consciousness, but this time there was no disturbance, only peace. Padmé led Luke and Obi-Wan outside to watch the surgery while Yoda stayed inside the room. A little green mask obscured his face, while plastic gloves protected his stubby claws.

Once the room sealed and the air pressure increased to two atmospheres, the mask of Darth Vader was removed, for what all hoped would be the last time. Piece-by-piece, the droids carefully removed the entire suit, attaching different cables and hoses as needed to replace the life support suit.

Anakin's heartrate beat steadily, if a little fast. His respirations cycled properly. Once they had removed all of his cybernetics, only the torso, two thigh stumps, his upper arms, and his head remained.

The doctor made the incision for the ventilator hose to bypass the lungs. Many hours passed while the medical team opened his chest and sliced through the sternum to open the rib cage. Droids pulled the bones apart while the doctor opened up the lungs.

Using a laser scalpel, another droid sliced a tenth of a centimeter off the lung linings. The droid moved slowly and precisely, careful to work around each bronchiole. Another droid followed with a special Bacta solution designed for lungs.

The entire procedure lasted fourteen hours. Obi-Wan relieved Master Yoda part way through the operation, transferring into the room through a decompression chamber. Padmé and Luke only left the observation gallery to take care of their physical needs.

Once the medical team had completed the procedure, the doctor sewed the incisions by hand. She then activated the bone knitter to fuse the sternum.

She checked over the different readings on all of the monitors, ready to reverse her procedure and install the new lungs that waited in a tank in the corner. She removed the ventilator bypass from the heart, giving the lungs a chance to start oxygenating the heart on their own.

All of a sudden, monitors beeped and lights flashed. Med techs rushed into new positions. One placed a ventilator over Anakin's mouth while another pulled a device out of a storage compartment.

The doctor yelled, "Clear!"

"What's going on, Mommy?" Luke asked when he saw the flurry below him. "Why's Ben moving away?"

The medical droid took two paddles out and placed them on Anakin's chest. His whole body jumped at the touch.

Padmé clasped Luke to her chest. "He's gone into cardiac arrest, Luke." Tears hit Luke on the head as she watched the doctor and med techs scramble to save Anakin's life.


	24. Chapter 23 - The Great Negotiator

**CHAPTER 23—THE GREAT NEGOTIATOR**

"Mommy, I can't feel Daddy anymore. Is he hiding from Master Yoda again?"

Padmé stroked Luke's head. "No, Honey. His heart stopped."

"I don't want him to die, Mommy. Do something."

She knelt down and buried Luke's head in her shoulder as she watched through the observation window.

Master Yoda had left her side. The tiny Jedi Master waited for the compression cycle to proceed in the small transfer chamber.

The doctor ordered another charge with a curse. Padmé reached up to the speaker controls in the gallery and switched them off.

Anakin's torso jumped again. The heart monitor gave a solid tone as the line stayed smooth. The doctor ordered another charge. Still nothing. A medical droid moved to the container with the transplant organs as the first med tech set another charge.

Just as the doctor was about to cut into Anakin's chest, Obi-Wan said something. The doctor looked up at the monitor to see a steady line spiking every second.

Luke pulled away from Padmé and pointed through the glass. "Mommy, I feel him. He's alive!"

The boy put his hands up against the glass wall that separated him from his father. He pressed his forehead against the glass, as his mother stood behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Are they going to put him in the Bacta tank now?"

"I don't think so. He's not breathing on his own yet. I think they have to wait until they can take him off the regulator." She pulled on a curl, twisting it in her fingers.

Master Yoda had finally made it through the compression cycling and stood next to Obi-Wan. The young man argued with the doctor about something, and then the Jedi Master said something else.

"What are they saying?" Luke asked.

Padmé reached up to turn the speaker on again.

"Help him I can. Imperative it is that he breathe without the regulator. Do it again," Yoda said. "Powerful is the Force. With it, his lungs can I control for a short time."

A medical droid wiped the doctor's brow with gauze. "I am going on record that this I am doing this under protest." She said, "Remove the regulator."

After the droid disconnected the apparatus, Anakin's chest stilled. His heart monitor changed from a steady beat to an irregular, weak pulse.

Master Yoda closed his eyes and held his hands out. Anakin's chest rose and fell as he breathed. Five seconds later, another breath. After the third breath, Master Yoda opened his eyes and lowered his hands. Anakin's heart rate become steady and stronger. His chest rose and fell on its own.

"He's alive. He's breathing on his own," the doctor said in wonder. "Move him to the bed. Elevate his torso. I want a round-the-clock watch. After twenty-eight hours, we'll see if he's stable enough for Bacta. Master Yoda, Master Kenobi, thank you. Without your assistance, I don't think he would have made it. I think he would have a better of chance of survival if he stayed in the trance."

"Understood, Doctor. Obi-Wan, to the ship take Padmé and Luke. With Anakin will I stay," Yoda said.

"Master Yoda, you are tired. I'll stay with him. You need rest yourself. You will be no good to us dead."

Yoda crunched his forehead and eyes together, tilting his head, about to say something else, but he just nodded instead and hobbled to the decompression unit with the doctor.

* * *

Padmé tucked Luke into the top bunk in the crew quarters on the yacht while Master Yoda climbed into the bottom one. She kissed Luke on the forehead. "Get some rest. That's what Daddy's doing, too. In a few hours, we'll go back and see how he is doing, see if they'll let us see go into the room."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, Luke." She kissed him once more before leaving.

As she entered the turbo lift, she was going to say goodnight to small Jedi Master, but he was already fast asleep, exhausted from the long day of Force manipulation.

* * *

Padmé awoke as she heard the turbo lift open.

Luke stood there in his nightclothes, tears running down his eyes. "Mommy, I had a bad dream again."

She hurried out of bed, not even stopping to put on slippers or a robe. She wrapped her arms around her son. "Tell me about it. Were you feeling something again? Or did you see something?"

"I saw Daddy. He was in his black suit again, and he was dying."

"Did you wake Master Yoda up?"

"No. He was still snoring."

"It was only a bad dream then." Padmé rubbed her son's back to comfort him. "Come on. I'm tired. Climb into bed."

"Really?"

"Just this once."

The boy jumped on the large bed, pummeling the multiple pillows. "Can we have a pillow fight?"

"Not tonight, Luke. Maybe one day. Now, climb under the covers, and I'll tuck you in." After his mother tucked him in, she kissed him on the forehead again and brushing his curls out of his eyes. She climbed back in on her side. She wrapped her arms around the little boy.

"I'm scared, Mommy." A sob caught in his throat.

"I am, too, Luke. I am, too."

* * *

After six hours, Padmé woke, but Luke was still sound asleep. She did not want to invade Master Yoda's privacy by heading to the galley on the middecks. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

 _What's going to happen to Luke if Anakin doesn't pull through? Exile on Dagobah? That's not the life I want for my son. I want him to know love. I want him to have purpose. I don't want him living in exile_ _._ _._ _. or in the terror that Sidious will either kill him or take him as a Sith apprentice. Oh, Anakin._

* * *

The next day, Padmé and Luke accompanied Master Yoda to the med center. The doctor prohibited admittance to Padmé and Luke. Anakin had held steady through the night, but not without a few scares.

She could see the exhaustion in Obi-Wan's face. The last eight years had been rough on the man, and he looked older than his forty-six years. Her mouth curved into a slight smile. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. I don't know how I could ever repay you for this."

"There is nothing to repay. This is all my fault any way." Obi-Wan sighed. "Are you staying here today?"

"Yes. Go get some rest on the ship. Luke and I should be fine here." Padmé placed her hand on his arm lightly. "Please. Master Yoda will know before there is any real danger to Luke."

Obi-Wan's blue eyes sparkled at her. "Thank you, Padmé. Luke, take care of your mother while I go catch a nap."

"Yes, Master Obi-Wan."

* * *

Later that day, they watched as the medical droids slowly decompressed the chamber. Anakin's vitals held steady, with respirations and heart rate almost at normal. His blood pressure had strengthened, and his gastrointestinal functions were returning to normal after being controlled by the life support suit for so many years.

Toward the end of Master Yoda's shift, they moved Anakin to a recovery room. A small tube was attached to his nose, delivering oxygen to his weak lungs. The droids attached a drip bag of Nyex, the most powerful pain reliever they could give him without spawning the Force-visions.

The doctor stood by the patient as Master Yoda brought Anakin out of his Jedi healing trance. The man did not stir, his vitals remaining the same.

The doctor said, "He's sleeping on his own. This is a good sign."

Master Yoda looked out the glass wall of the ICU room. "Time for Master Kenobi."

As Obi-Wan entered, Master Yoda hobbled out of the room, exhausted once more.

The doctor said, "Master Kenobi, he is no longer in a trance but is sleeping on his own. We have given him some heavy pain medications, but he may still experience pain."

"I'll be standing by to put him back in a trance if it's needed."

The medical droid said, "No need to stand. Please have a seat."

Obi-Wan smiled at the droid's literal comprehension. It had been a long time since he had worked with droids on a regular basis. "Can his family see him now?"

The doctor looked out at the young woman and little boy. "His wife may. Not the boy."

Obi-Wan admitted Padmé to the room.

Luke squirmed outside in the hall, but Obi-Wan held his finger to his lips. Luke pressed his face against the glass wall again. Master Yoda put his arm around the boy's shoulder while he leaned on his gimer stick.

Padmé raced to Anakin's side and grabbed the stump of his right arm. "Oh, Ani, you're going to make it. I know it. And when this is all over, we're going to be a family again."

Obi-Wan pulled a chair over to her. She sat, holding onto her husband's arm, massaging it slightly.

The doctor said, "Ma'am, you can only stay for a few minutes. The patient needs his rest."

"I am staying with my husband. You can try to pull me out of here, but I think Master Kenobi might have something to say about it." Her eyes burned with fire.

Obi-Wan stood between Padmé and the doctor. "It will be better if she's here when he wakes. She hasn't caused any deterioration in his status. What's the harm?"

The doctor huffed. "This is against policies."

"Everything thus far has been against policy. We're not dealing with a typical case nor a typical patient. Trust me," Obi-Wan said, ever the negotiator.

The doctor nodded her agreement. "If his condition worsens, you must leave the room immediately so that the medical team can work. Is that understood? And don't touch his open wounds. You really should have gloves on."

Padmé nodded her agreement and sat down next to her husband, whispering all the things she had planned once their lives returned to peace.

* * *

Master Yoda escorted a disappointed Luke back to the ship. Instead of sleeping instantly, the aged Jedi Master spent the time training young Luke in how to resist mental attacks by the Emperor . . . and how to use a lightsaber to deflect Force-lightning.


	25. Chapter 24 - Lieutenants, Captains

**CHAPTER 24—LIEUTENANTS, CAPTAINS, AND COMMANDERS**

The first thing Anakin realized was that he did not hear his breathing regulator. He opened his eyes, confused. He looked with his own eyes and not through the red lenses of his mask.

He had expected to see the inside of his meditation chamber aboard the _Executor._ Instead he faced a glass wall.

Pain stabbed his chest—pain that could not be ignored. However, Anakin was accustomed to pain. It was a constant part of his life.

Skywalker inspected the pressure on his side. Curly, chestnut hair spread out on the blanket. One graceful hand clutched his arm. The other draped across his body.

Anakin closed his eyes and imagined he could reach out and run his hands through her curls. He even felt the phantom movement in his stump. He reached out with the Force and stroked his wife's hair, running Force fingers through it.

She gazed at him with her brown eyes circled in black, the irises bloodshot. "Ani!"

Her voice was enough to wake up Obi-Wan, who had fallen asleep in his chair in the corner. "Anakin."

Neither of them could get a word in before the medical droid entered and pushed them out of the way as it examined the patient. It was the middle of the space station's night, so at least no one was floating through the corridors during this rather thorough examination.

Three-Bee placed a device against Anakin's chest. "Inhale and hold. Exhale on a five count. Five, four, three, two, one. Again. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Excellent. Meal service will begin in thirty minutes. What is your preference?"

He looked at the droid, not sure that his hearing was functioning correctly. "Meal service? You mean real food?" He was shocked to hear his scratchy baritone voice after so many years of hearing it through the bassy tones of the vocalizer.

He had not eaten real food in eight years, as his suit had provided his water and the protein sludge that passed as food on Imperial vessels. After years in the suit, he had finally gotten used to never chewing his food. He only wished he never had to taste that vile sludge again.

The droid provided a menu on its screen. "Choose one."

 _Protein sludge might be better than these choices._ "Any chance I can get a nerf steak?"

"Negative. Broth, mashed tubers, and greens. Choose your flavor of broth."

Anakin could not make up his mind because they all sounded just as bad. He closed his eyes and chose something randomly.

When the medical droid had left, Padmé and Obi-Wan helped Anakin back into his medical gown.

"How do you feel?" She adjusted his sleeve, her face full of concern.

Anakin closed his eyes so that he could concentrate on his full senses. "It hurts, but not the burning I used to feel. It also itches."

Obi-Wan grinned. "That's the Bacta in your lungs. It means you're healing."

Anakin smiled back at his old master, and then he looked at Padmé. "What's wrong? Did the surgery not work? You two look like you've seen a ghost."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips together before answering. "In a way, we are."

Padmé grabbed his arm stump. "We lost you, Ani, during the surgery."

He felt tears land on his arm. He smiled and shook his head. "It will take more than that to keep me down, Angel."

She smiled back with her smile that wrapped him in her love.

"What's next?" Anakin asked with raised eyebrows.

Padmé said, "The droids have cleaned your head wounds and started Bacta gel on them, but they're putting you in the tank once the doctor clears your lungs as safe."

Anakin smiled at the thought of the Bacta tank. There was nothing like the uncanny feeling of the fluid tingling over your body and working its magic on you.

 _I wonder what I'll look like when it is all over. I just hope with the new prosthetics and the added flexibility without the suit that I can bet back to my old fighting trim—_

He grimaced and breathed heavily, trying to swallow.

"What's wrong?" Padmé stroked his forehead.

Anakin grunted. "Pal—"

Obi-Wan sent forth the Force, pulling at the fingers that had clutched Anakin's throat.

Anakin breathed quickly, gulping air, hyperventilating. "He's found me. Where's Luke?" He looked around the room and through the glass walls into the corridor.

Obi-Wan said, "Relax. He's with Master Yoda on the ship. He's fine."

"If Sidious has found me, he'll find Luke. Please—"

Master Yoda cut off Anakin's words as he entered the room with Luke in tow.

A medical droid followed them in. "Children are not allowed—"

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force and deactivated the machine.

Luke raced around the droid and jumped onto the bed beside Anakin. "Daddy, what was that?"

"The bad man." Anakin growled.

Yoda said, "Felt it we did. Safe here we are not."

Obi-Wan asked, "How long until we can expect an Imperial fleet here?"

"It depends on where the closest is stationed. Could be hours. Could be days."

Padmé headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Anakin asked.

"To find that doctor and get you cleared for Bacta. Master Yoda, will moving chambers confuse Sidious?"

"Perhaps. Hide Anakin I must. Obi-Wan, hide young Luke," Yoda said as he closed his eyes, building an obscurity shield around Anakin.

Padmé said, "Well, I'm going to see if we can speed up this healing process." She headed out of the room, striding down the corridor past the glass wall, in her full regal comportment.

Anakin smiled, feeling a bit sorry for the doctor when Padmé would reach her.

* * *

After three days of twenty-hour Bacta sessions and obscuring Anakin and Luke from the Emperor's senses, everyone was exhausted. Padmé and Master Yoda stayed with Anakin every moment of the day.

Yoda pulled on the Force to hide Anakin and also to sustain his own energy. He had not slept in over four days. Obi-Wan and Luke spent most of their time on the ship, ready to depart at the first sign of Imperial attack.

All remained quiet thus far. One more day of Bacta treatments, and then they would attach the new prosthetics. One more day is all they would need. Each day, after the Bacta treatments, Anakin was moved to a different room, in the hopes of confusing Sidious even more.

After the last Bacta treatment, the wounds on Anakin's face had finally closed. They no longer seeped or gaped. When Padmé watched closely for a few minutes, she could actually see the flesh growing.

The skin had lost its pasty appearance, and the swelling had reduced. Anakin was scheduled for cybernetic installation the following day.

It was during that intervening night that all hope was lost. Obi-Wan jumped awake in his bunk as the proximity alarms alerted. He raced to the cockpit of the _Silver Streak_ , with Luke right behind him in his nightclothes. Obi-Wan punched the start-up sequence on the pilot's side while Luke hit his buttons in the co-pilot's area.

Before they could lift off, two TIE fighters hovered over the ship. A troop transport landed beside it, deploying the troopers. An announcement permeated the ship's communication system. "Nubian yacht H1-2187, power down."

Luke asked Obi-Wan, "What do we do?"

"We power down. We have no armament on this craft, Luke." Obi-Wan patted the young man's hand and winked. "This is where the fun begins."

"Are they going to take me to the Emperor?"

"I don't know. They may not even know who you are." Obi-Wan looked at the scopes. "Seems we have one super star destroyer out there and five _Imperial_ -class destroyers. Follow my lead. There's still a chance we can get free, but not if they destroy the station. I only hope they attached your father's limbs already."

"Yes, Master Kenobi."

The turbo lift door opened, revealing four Imperial stormtroopers in white armor, armed with E-11 blasters. Obi-Wan smiled. "Welcome, Gentlemen. What held you up?"

The squad commander said, "Up. You're under arrest for treason against the Empire."

"Only arrest. Hmm, Old Palpy must have something special planned for me." Kenobi stood. "Just do me a favor, leave the boy here. He's done nothing wrong."

"We are impounding this ship. The Emperor has commanded that the boy be brought to him, unharmed."

"Over my dead body." Kenobi grabbed their blasters with the Force and shoved the troopers against the bulkhead. "Run, Luke, run."

* * *

A legion of Imperial stormtroopers lined the halls of the medical center as an Imperial officer passed through the hallways, poking his head into each chamber. The unassuming young man with dark hair and a datapad in his hand seemed worried.

When he reached the room with a young amputee, he almost passed onto the next chamber, positive that this was not the man he was looking for. However, the officer stopped when he recognized the woman who sat beside him in a chair.

The young man stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Stormtroopers lined the corridor outside the glass walls. "Lord Vader." The officer saluted his superior. "How good to see you."

"Lieutenant Piett, what a pleasant surprise." The invalid smiled at the man.

The lieutenant was surprised himself. He had never seen the Sith Lord smile, even before the suit. Now, though, looking on the normally hulking figure sitting here as a torso with a head, Piett did not know how to respond. He could not believe that Vader was this weak invalid.

"We came as soon as the orders were dispatched. Admiral Ozzel deployed the fleet throughout the system, ready to engage Tarkin's fleet. We expect them within four hours, my lord."

"Excellent. We should be gone by then. Please bring me a life-support suit and a helmet. As soon as my new limbs are attached, we will leave," Anakin said. "One question, Piett."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Where do your loyalties lie?"

"With you, Lor—Master Skywalker."

"Very good. Please announce to the fleet that the Emperor has ordered an attack on me and all under my command. Those who wish to continue serving the Emperor may utilize an escape pod and wait to be picked up by Tarkin."

Piett raised his eyebrows. "We're not going to terminate them?"

"They have done nothing wrong except hold to their own beliefs. If any man chooses to fight his comrades instead of using an escape pod, you may terminate them."

"Very well, my lord."

"Start with the men out there." Anakin pointed to the legion of troopers lining the corridor.

Piett's thin lips curved into a smile. "SCM-2224 and his men of the 501st have already sworn allegiance to you, my lord. They have vowed to protect you to their last breath. We removed their chips a few hours ago."

Tears formed in Anakin's eyes when he recognized the call sign. "Very good, _Captain Piett_. I could not have done a better job myself."

Piett saluted his commander. "Thank you, Master Skywalker."

"Return to the _Executor_ and hand-pick your replacement for my aide-de-camp. You are in command of the _Executor_ now, Captain Piett."

"Yes, my lord." Piett saluted and brought his heels together in a click of reverence.

Anakin turned to his wife. "Padmé, go find that doctor. I'm not leaving without my new limbs."

"The doctor won't like it. You haven't finished the healing session yet after the Bacta treatment."

"It can't be any worse than how the last ones were attached. Go get her."

Padmé leaned forward and kissed Anakin on his healed lips before she left.

The blanket on the other chair moved, revealing the small, green form of Master Yoda who had hidden under it while Piett was there. "Quickly we must move. On Alderaan the Alliance assembles even now."


	26. Chapter 25 - All Things Made New

**CHAPTER 25—ALL THINGS MADE NEW**

Within an hour, Anakin Skywalker lay on the operating table once again with Master Yoda maintaining his Jedi trance. The Bacta treatments had healed much of his head, but his hair follicles were dead forever.

The gaping wounds had sealed to puffy red scars. The only scar that had not healed was the vertical slice above and below his right eye. The doctor expected slight scars to remain from the other wounds, but it would take a few more days for the healing to finish.

Stormtroopers guarded the entrances to the room. They stood their ground when rushing footsteps headed toward them. They retracted their blasters drawn when Lord Vader's apprentice appeared.

The boy panted as other stormtroopers chased him down the corridor.

Stormtrooper Commander 2224 ordered the other squad, "Stand down. Lord Vader has an interest in this boy."

"The Emperor has ordered the boy be taken into custody."

"Orders have been changed by Lord Vader himself." The commander grabbed the young boy, shoving Luke behind his armored body. "We have the situation handled. Report back to the _Executor_. Captain Piett needs you there."

The other squad leader paused for a moment. "Yes, Commander." He turned and exited the medical center, wondering whom the other squad was protecting in the operating theater.

* * *

Anakin's eyes popped open in the operating theater. He felt like he was being awakened by mortar fire during the Clone War battles on the front lines. He sat up and swiveled, lowering his new legs to the ground.

He discovered he had two arms now, arms with Synthaskin covering the metal cybernetics. They were not as heavy as his old prosthetics. He lifted them and clenched his fists in and out, testing them.

The medical droid approached, poking him with an electronic probe on each fingertip. Each finger curled in response to the stimulation.

Padmé crossed to him, taking his right hand in hers.

He lifted his left hand and touched her face, feeling the smoothness and contour of his wife. He lifted his head, noticing Luke outside the room staring through the glass wall. Stormtroopers surrounded the boy, hiding and protecting him with their armor.

Anakin pulled his arms down and lifted himself from the table, straightening his legs slowly. He took one stiff step, not bending his knees, and then another. By the fifth step, he bent his knee, but then fell to the floor. He had not straightened the leg properly before lifting the other.

Padmé and the med techs rushed to him.

He pushed them away. "I can do this on my own. Balance is tricky the first time, as I recall."

His wife stayed back as she watched Anakin lift himself with his arms and legs, regaining his balance slowly. Master Yoda stood by, ready to help with the Force if needed.

Anakin lifted his leg again, bending the knee. After a few steps, he no longer stumbled. Exhausted, he sat back on the table.

The doctor said, "Very good, Master Skywalker. At this rate, we should be able to release you in a few days."

"I'm leaving now," Anakin said with a heaving breath. "Get me a hover chair."

"What about payment? This medical center is a private entity."

Padmé said, "I'll go get the credits."

Anakin looked at her, questioning.

"Ever since Tatooine, I always carry enough credits to buy a ship, or a husband, in this case."

"I love you."

"I know," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Take a squad with you." Anakin climbed into the hover chair a medical droid had procured. "And send Luke to me."

* * *

Within a half hour, the group had returned to the _Silver Streak_.

Captain Piett spoke via the comm unit from the _Executor_. "Your orders have been carried out to the fullest, Lord Vader. I have a stormtrooper squad bringing you the package before we depart. What are your orders?"

"Move the fleet to Brentaal. That position will put them within striking distance for our next move. I will be heading to a classified location for a few days. I will contact you when the operation commences. Meanwhile, double the drills."

"Yes, my lord."

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan. "Have you swept the ship for tracking devices?"

"Of course." Obi-Wan grinned. "Found three of the nasty bugs. Just wish Artoo were here."

"You and me both." Anakin smiled as he started the launch procedures.

Padmé allowed Luke to press the buttons from the co-pilot's seat, lifting them into space with an Imperial fleet behind them. Once they had reached the Polis Massa jump point just outside of the asteroid field, Luke pushed the button sending them into hyperspace toward Alderaan.

After they were underway, Anakin pushed up from his seat with his arms and stumbled to the turbo lift. Obi-Wan stood by, waiting to catch him if he fell.

"Padmé," Anakin called. His wife settled Luke in her seat and joined her husband. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her head in close to him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Luke asked. "Can I come?"

Anakin looked back at his son, a strange smile on his face. "No."

Obi-Wan grinned as he saw a gleam in Anakin's eyes. "You will stay here with Master Yoda and me to continue your training, youngling. I think it's time to teach you the _Soresu_ form of saber fighting."

"Yay!" Luke screamed as the turbo lift doors slid shut.

* * *

Padmé turned to her husband in the lift, stroking his face. "Is everything all right, Anakin? No problems with the limbs?"

"No," he said with a slight moan. Anakin lifted his right hand, running his fingers down Padmé's arm, as he ran his left hand through her hair. He tilted his head, pressing his lips to hers.

Her hands reach up behind his head, returning the embrace. Anakin's lips moved down her neck as the turbo lift door opened on the royal cabin. He stumbled while they walked to the bed, and he fumbled with the clasp to Padmé's dress.

She moved his hands and undid the clasp hurriedly. His hands pulled the gown over her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor, before she pulled off his tunic.

"You sure you're ready for this, Anakin?" Padmé asked.

"It's been eight long years. Don't stop now." Anakin beamed, his eyes twinkling as he leaned his wife back on the bed. He teased her gently with his mouth and fingers, just like he remembered she enjoyed, just like he had dreamed of for the last eight years.


	27. Chapter 26 - The Mountain Palace

**CHAPTER 26—THE MOUNTAIN PALACE**

Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan waited at the base of the _Silver Streak's_ ramp. Her brunette braid and dark blue, royal gowns of office hung still. The containment field broke the wind gusts.

Standing to her right, her husband, Viceroy Bail Organa, straightened his back and smoothed back his dark hair blowing in the brisk breeze. Security forces spread throughout the Mountain Palace's landing pad, hand weapons drawn.

Lady Quemé, representative of Queen Marné of Naboo, led the small contingent forward. She stopped at the base of the ramp and curtsied.

A young boy attended at her left hand, with a small hooded figure to her right. Behind her, two bodyguards stood, both cloaked and hooded. If one were to look closely, he would notice shiny cylindrical objects swaying under the cloaks of the hooded figures. Also, one of the bodyguards occasionally stumbled, but the other was quick to catch him when he fell.

Queen Breha step forward. "Lady Quemé, we meet at last. Welcome." Breha scrutinized the woman as they met for the first time since the start of the alliance.

Lady Quemé gave a warm smile. "Your Majesty is too kind. Thank you for venerable reception. We are highly honored by your presence."

Meanwhile, her husband inspected the group, his sharp eyes missing nothing. He recognized the smile and the voice immediately, realizing he was looking at a ghost.

 _Padmé lives. I hope she doesn't expect to take Leia from us. That would kill Breha . . . Deal with that when that moment arrives. There are bigger things on the agenda right now._

The other members of her party concerned him, too. He was not expecting bodyguards, nor a small boy. He lifted the woman's hand and brought it to his lips in formal greeting. "Lady Quemé, it is indeed an honor to have you here on Alderaan. And who is this sharp young man with you?"

Quemé placed her hand on the boy's shoulder. "This is my son . . . Luke."

Bail narrowed his eyes, focusing on Quemé's. "I was unaware that you had a son, my lady."

 _So this is Leia's brother. He looks so much like his father._ Bail could not hold back a slight chuckle. _He looks like he's about to burst his seams trying to hold still._

Bail's eye caught a glint of metal under the robe of the smaller figure. He jerked his eyes to the bodyguards, looking for other tell-tale signs. _Master Yoda. Wonder who the other two are._

"The war had separated us for many years, but the Force has brought us together again."

Queen Breha asked, "And the rest of your party? Who are they?"

Quemé looked around at the possible security leaks. "My bodyguards. I prefer to introduce them inside."

Breha opened her mouth, her lips curling, as she began to object, but Bail placed his hand on his wife's hand. "Perhaps that would be best. Please follow us. The rest are already here."

* * *

As they passed down the sweeping white Synthstone corridors with soaring windows revealing the snowcapped peaks of the Alderaanian mountainscape, a little girl dressed in a cream-colored snowsuit bounded down the passageway. Slightly shorter than Luke, her chestnut braids swished as she ran.

She jumped into Bail's arms. "Daddy!" She planted a kiss on his lips and rubbed her nose with his. "Where have you been? You promised me we would go sledding today."

"Daddy and Mummy have to work right now."

"Can I come?"

Bail looked at Luke as he set down Leia. They would both be bored to tears within minutes. While the young man had walked patiently with the group, he was fidgeting again during this brief pause. The boy wanted to explore—just like his sister. "Not this time, Leia. I need you to be a gracious hostess and show our guests around the palace. Can you do that for me?"

The girl adjusted her posture to reflect a regal bearing. "It would be my honor, Father."

At that moment, a golden protocol droid waddled toward them down the corridor. "Princess Leia! Princess Leia, your father will not be—Oh, excuse me, Your Majesty, Your Honor."

"That's all right, Threepio. Try to keep up with her next time." Bail ushered Luke to Leia. "Leia, this is my friend Luke. Please show him your favorite things in the palace."

Luke looked up at Lady Quemé.

She nodded. "One of my bodyguards will join." She turned and pointed to Anakin. "You, make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Yes, my lady." Anakin lowered his voice to avoid identification.

Leia said, "I beg your pardon, my lady, but I don't get into trouble."

Quemé smiled at her daughter. "Trust me, you will one day, and if Luke's around it will probably happen sooner rather than later."

Anakin said, "Come on, kids, let's go see if there's enough snow out there to build an ice Wampa."

The two youngsters raced together back down the corridor as Anakin tried to keep up with them. He only stumbled twice, but the anger that welled up within him with his frustration was palpable to all present.

Bail chuckled. "Very well. Now that that's settled, let's go meet the others and see what they've come up with."

Queen Breha asked, "Is your bodyguard all right? I noticed his limp."

"He was injured during the war, but there is no one that can match him in a fight. I trust him with my life."

* * *

Once they had reached the council room in the Mountain Palace, the security guards sealed the doors and swept the area for recording devices. The security chief said, "We're clear, Your Majesty."

"Thank you. I give the floor to Mon Mothma." Breha stepped a few meters back, allowing the leaders of the Rebel Alliance to gather around the hologram table.

The red-headed senator from Chandrilla stepped to the control panel of the hologram table. "Thank you, Breha. I know the risks you and Bail have taken by hosting us all here. As this is the first time we have all been gathered together in the flesh, I believe introductions are in order. On my right is Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, my second in command."

Mon motioned again to her left. "This is Admiral Gial Ackbar of Mon Cala. The Mon Calamari and Quarren have supplied their entire fleet for this operation. General Tarfful of Kashyyyk." The Wookiee roared a greeting.

"Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor." Mon pointed to a young man who nodded his head with confidence. The dark-haired, olive-complexioned man held himself with authority and experience. He seemed uncomfortable, running his hands over the blaster attached to his leg. He eyed the hooded figures near Quemé with intensity.

"General Carlist Rieekan." Mon gestured to the man beside Andor. Lines of worry marked the tall man's face. His brown hair had already turned grey, and dark circles couched his blue eyes.

"Beside him is one of our deep operatives, code name Fulcrum. She is masked to protect her interests. If any of you were captured by the Empire, many operations would be at risk if her true identity were revealed."

Bail and Ackbar nodded, but the cloaked figures with Quemé whipped their gazes to the figure named Fulcrum.

Mon Mothma said, "Lastly, we have Lady Quemé from Naboo, our lead operative on that planet and her bodyguards—"

Lady Quemé interrupted as she removed her headdress, revealing the royal coronet of a former queen of Naboo nestled atop her chestnut curls. "The time for disguises is over, Mon."

The group on the other side of the table dropped their mouths. The masked Fulcrum sucked in her breath.

"I am Padmé Naberrie Amidala . . ." she gulped as she prepared to say her final last name for the first time in public, "Skywalker, representative of Queen Marné of Naboo. It is my honor to present the Jedi Council."

Padmé motioned to the two figures that stood beside her who removed their hoods. "Master Yoda and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

If the leaders were shocked that Padmé stood in front of them alive, they were more than relieved to see the surviving Jedi joining the alliance for this assault on the Empire. Bail was the only one not to have been taken by surprise.

Everyone broke out in babble at once.

Master Yoda ignored them, moving to Fulcrum on his right. He lifted himself to the top of the hologram table and whispered in her ear, "Missed you we have, Little 'Soka."

Fulcrum nodded her headed, reaching a gloved hand under her mask to wipe her tears.

Mon Mothma called the group to order. "Order. Order. Gentle Beings, what we are about to discuss is treason. If you are not willing to die for this cause or be tortured for the information, please leave now."

Not a soul left.

"Very well, the time for our attack has come. General Rieekan, you have the floor." The senator pressed buttons on the hologram controller, dimming the lights and displaying a three-dimensional map of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, formerly the Jedi Temple.

While pointing to each location, Carlist said, "Starting with an attack on the Senate building as a diversion, our troops will surround the palace. Cassian and Fulcrum will lead his team of operatives to Palpatine. With the Emperor's guards down, an all-out assault will be launched on the Emperor." He continued to detail each move of the operation.

Master Yoda coughed. "Strong enough to defeat Sidious Fulcrum is not. The entire Jedi Order will it take to remove this plague of evil from the galaxy. General Kenobi and I will join you, as will the other Jedi Knight."

Padmé asked, "What's to prevent the Empire from bringing in more troops? They have more than we could possibly hope to subdue."

Admiral Ackbar said, "The Mon Calamari have identified the closest star destroyers that could reach Coruscant in time. We will engage the enemy to prevent them from leaving."

Ackbar replaced the map of the palace with a three-dimensional map of the Core Worlds. "Only one destroyer is at Coruscant at the moment. Two frigates and a hammerhead corvette will take it out. The other frigates have been deployed to the destroyers at Vakkar, Kattada, and N'Zoth. The ships at the Kuat Shipyards are still not space worthy, as all construction personnel have been moved to Scarif in the Outer Rim. Most of the fleet is amassed around that planet."

The admiral leaned forward on the table, his multiple chins wagging while he spoke. He pointed with his webbed hand to Brentaal. "The only new development that concerns me is Death Squadron, with five star destroyers and one super star destroyer, has moved to Brentaal from Polis Massa, only one short hop from Coruscant. I'm afraid that the risks are too high. We can't repel fire power of that magnitude."

Bail conferred with Mon Mothma in hushed tones.

General Kenobi broke the silence. "I believe that we may be able to subvert Death Squadron for our uses."

Everyone babbled once again.

Master Yoda, still standing on the hologram table, held out his hand, passing peace across the room. "General Kenobi is right. Covert operative have we who can insure the cooperation of the Imperials."

"That's some operative, Master Yoda." Rieekan raised his right eyebrow in disbelief. "Perhaps if we could meet him, we might be more likely to place our trust in him."

Padmé raised her finger. "Senator Organa, could you please send for my bodyguard who is with the children? I believe he can shed more light on this topic."

Bail tilted his head trying to figure out where Padmé was leading. He spoke a few commands into his wrist comm unit while his wife stepped forward.

Breha said, "Why don't we all break for refreshments while we wait."

Immediately the hologram table deactivated, and the lights slowly returned to normal. When the hatches opened, serving droids brought in small bites and beverages for the group.


	28. Chapter 27 - Ice Wampas

**CHAPTER 27—ICE WAMPAS**

Leia led Luke and Anakin out onto a terrace that was packed high with snow. The wind was bitterly cold, and Luke's lips were turning blue already.

Anakin asked, "Threepio?"

The golden protocol droid tilted his head. "Yes, Master?"

"The boy needs warmer clothing. Can you find him some?"

"I'm sorry, but I've been ordered to care for the princess . . ."

"Relax, Threepio. I'll watch her. You wouldn't want her friend getting sick and then getting the princess sick, would you?"

"No, I suppose not. But if Senator Organa finds out about this . . ." Threepio mumbled as he waddled off.

"So, what is this stuff?" Luke squatted beside a pile of white cold mush.

The princess smiled at him. "Snow, silly. Haven't you ever seen snow before?"

"Do you think I would have asked the question if I had?"

Leia patted a handful of snow together. "Where do you come from?"

"Tatooine." Luke played with the snow and then rubbed his cold hands on his trousers.

"That's a desert planet in the Outer Rim. Hutt controlled, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"My governess makes me learn all sorts of facts about every single planet in every single system. It's sooooo boring." Leia patted the snow together for the base of the wampa.

"So is that all princesses do? Study?"

"No, I attend state functions, appear in public with my parents. My father is training me to be in the public service—to become a senator just like him. And then one day I will be queen."

"You don't sound so happy about that," Luke said. "I thought being queen would be great."

"My mother would have to die first." Leia sighed. "As much as being in control of an entire system sounds wonderful, I don't want to lose my mother."

"My mother was a queen, too."

"Now I know you're lying."

"No, I'm not. But on her planet she was elected."

"Oh, so she's Nubian. Only planet that elects their monarchs is Naboo."

"Yeah. More of your studies?"

"No. My real mother was from Naboo. I'm a Clone War orphan. My mother and father adopted me the day I was born."

See-Threepio chugged out onto the terrace.

Anakin said, "Luke, come get this jacket on and these gloves."

"Yes, Fa—sir."

While Anakin helped Luke into his jacket and gloves, Leia continued to build a base for the wampa.

Luke asked, "So when's your birthday? Mine was just a few weeks ago on Empire Day. I turned eight."

Leia glared at him with her mouth drawn into an O. "No fair! That's my birthday. You can't have it!"

Anakin shook his head at the princess and chuckled. "You don't get to pick your own birthday. It just happens."

 _Wait a minute. They weren't born until two days later._ Anakin shook his head again. His breathing increased. His face stiffened. His eyes became darker, almost a dark yellow. _More lies! Obi-W—_

"Yeah." Luke sticking his tongue out at the princess yanked Anakin back to reality.

"It's impolite to stick out your tongue, Luke. Did you grow up herding nerfs or something?" the princess scrunched his nose at the little boy.

"Hey! It was a _moisture_ farm!"

"Children, go play nicely." Ani nodded toward the wampa base.

"So what did you do for your birthday?" Leia asked.

"Well, my uncle was going to take me to the pod races at Mos Espa, but we had to go to the Imperial Census instead."

"Oh, well, mother gave me a fancy party, inviting all the children from the aristocracy. She brought in an ice carnival, with rides and skaters and entertainers. We had the finest meal and then stayed up all night watching holovids. And I got some of the nicest clothes."

"Figures you would want clothes for a birthday present. Girls."

Leia glared at him again. She took a ball of snow and threw it at him.

Luke ducked his head just in time and moved backward to find shelter behind a chair. He threw loose snow back at her and then took some time to make some snowballs himself.

She kept tossing them, a few of them hitting him squarely in the chest and one glancing off his head.

He threw a few back at her, but she was very good at dodging them. Luke came out of his hiding place, shuffling along the terrace until he was practically on top of her.

She jumped on him, shoving snow down his jacket.

Luke gave up with a traditional fight and used the Force to levitate a ball around Leia to hit her in the back of her head. He pummeled her with five snowballs at once, hitting one very hard at her arm.

Over Leia's screams, Anakin yelled, "Luke, not like that. That is not the right way to use the Force."

Leia screamed in pain, grabbing her arm. Tears fell as the screams faded into sobs. "Not fair, Luke. You don't play nicely."

Anakin moved over to Leia and took the little girl in his arms, seating her in his lap. "Let me look at it."

She pulled her sleeve up, revealing a red mark about eight centimeters long.

"Ooh, that has to hurt. Let's get some snow on it to keep it from swelling." Anakin raised his hand and pulled one of Luke's snowballs, placing the ice against the purpling skin.

"It's cold."

"I know, but it will make you feel better," Anakin said while putting his arm around his daughter.

 _She loves Bail and Breha, and she's the crown princess. How is this going to work out?_

"Luke, you owe Leia an apology. And I never want to see you treat a girl like that again. Women are valuable like fine jewels, and we need to honor them."

"Yes, sir." Luke dragged his feet as he approached the girl. "I'm sorry, Leia. Next time, I'll try not to hit you where it hurts."

"Luuuuuke," Anakin said. "There will be no more snowball fights. Is that understood? Why don't we move inside?"

"But we haven't finished our wampa yet." Leia hopped from his lap.

Through the Force, Anakin felt another human approaching. He stood quickly, putting himself between the twins and the door. He relaxed when he realized it was a security guard.

"Sir."

"Yes?"

"The Alliance has requested your presence, sir."

"Very well. Follow the guard, children."

The guard turned, looking at the princess and her friend. "They should stay with the protocol droid."

Anakin looked at the guard in his eyes and waved his hand. "You are mistaken."

"I am mistaken," the guard said, confused.

"The children are coming with us."

"The children are coming with us." The guard led the group down the corridor.

* * *

Anakin followed the security guard through the twisting corridors with the twins in front of him. Threepio lagged behind. _I should have given him a better servo motor. Maybe I could find some time to upgrade him._ _I wonder if Artoo is around._

As they entered the council room, the serving droids moved past them. Luke, hungry as always, grabbed a few snacks from the tray.

Leia hit his hand and scolded, "Those are for the grown-ups. Children eat separately, except on special occasions."

Luke rolled his eyes as he tossed the food into his mouth. Speaking with his mouth full, he said, "They were done with it anyway."

Breha motioned the children close to her on a bench against the wall.

Leia whispered, "And don't talk with your mouth full. Hasn't anyone taught you any manners?"

Anakin smiled at the two before moving to his wife. He stood between her and Master Yoda, who was back on the table. As the doors shut, Mon Mothma called them back to order and gave the floor to Master Yoda.

All eyes focused on the mysteriously cloaked figure beside him. "Recently, a Jedi Knight was found. Though battle-scarred, pledged his allegiance to defeat the Emperor he has. His help will we need, as well. Imperial connections this man has, but believe in him I do."

Anakin slowly removed his hood, revealing his scarred face and bald head. His old scar above and below his right eye from the Battle of Geonosis was barely perceptible when compared with the large slash across his right cheek, the jagged scar from the back of his scalp to above his left eye, and the chunky scar on his lower left cheek. The skin color had improved, and most of the swelling had dissipated.

"General Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight," Master Yoda said with a flourish to Anakin.

Anakin moved his left hand around his wife's back, resting it on her waist.

Bail glared at him. "We can't possibly have this . . . this thing in the Alliance. Security, arrest him for crimes against the galaxy."

Mon Mothma said, "Bail, be reasonable."

"Reasonable. Don't you realize that's Darth Vader the Sith Lord?" Bail's eyes bulged as his face flushed. "Security, arrest him."

As the security forces stepped forward, both Obi-Wan and Yoda raised their hands to push the men back. To everyone's surprise, so did Fulcrum.

Padmé grabbed Anakin's hand at her waist and his other hand, trying to prevent him from defending himself. He could have easily overpowered her, but he followed her lead instead.

"Enough. Accepted him into the Jedi Order we have. Trust him we do," Master Yoda said.

"You trusted him before, too." Bail glared at the small Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan said, "Not entirely. We just needed him too badly in the war to pull him from the Order. His fall was our failing. Sidious is our fault, no one else's. Therefore, it is our responsibility to take him out. We need Anakin."

Anakin spoke for the first time. "I would be wary, too. If I do anything that seems contradictory to this mission, I expect your forces to shoot first and ask questions later. I have a squadron of star destroyers stationed at Brentaal. When we are ready, they will join us at Coruscant, taking out the _Tormentor_. I expect Tarkin's fleet to attack. You won't survive without my ships."

The leaders looked across the table at each other.

Mon Mothma said, "General Skywalker, your appearance here is a genuine surprise. I request that you wait outside while we deliberate."

The Jedi Knight nodded and then headed out to the corridor, stumbling once on the steps. Two security guards stopped him before the door, applying stuncuffs to his wrists.

Anakin gazed back at Padmé in shame. He glanced quickly at Luke, seeing the boy's face turn from shock to anger. As the boy stood up, ready to run after his father, Queen Breha held him back. The guards led Anakin into the corridor with their blasters drawn on the man.


	29. Chapter 28 - Resolutions and Insight

**CHAPTER 28—RESOLUTIONS AND INSIGHT**

Luke broke free from Queen Breha's grasp. He ran straight to Padmé and grabbed her by the arm. His mother held him close, not knowing what to say. Now was not the time to go into everything his father had done nor how that would impact the rest of their lives.

As soon as the door had shut, Mon Mothma said, "Padmé, could you have not at least given us a warning? This is such a shock. I am inclined to agree with Bail to take Anakin and try him for war crimes."

Bail smiled. "I move that we charge Anakin at the very least for the massacre of the Jedi Younglings at the Jedi Temple. We have video proof of that, at least. For acts of treason against the Republic, too."

Yoda raised his claw. "Technically, his acts were not treasonous. He believed, albeit erroneously, that the Jedi Order had risen up to take over the Republic."

"That does not excuse the slaughter of Younglings!"

Padmé asked, "Permission to speak?"

Bail turned on her. "No, Padmé. Your loyalties in this matter are questionable. Love has blinded you to the reality of the situation."

Mon placed her hand on Bail. "Padmé, please. If you have something to add, speak."

"Are we going to try every clone trooper when this is over? I mean they are guilty of following the Emperor and committing atrocities as well."

Bail huffed. "That is entirely different. They are controlled by their chips. The fault lies with the Emperor, not with the clones."

"So, what you're saying is that they had no choice in the matter. They had to obey their Master. Is that correct?"

Bail clenched his lips together and flared his nostrils. "Yes. But they are soldiers in a war. Anakin was not."

Obi-Wan said, "While Anakin was not controlled by a chip, he was under the influence of Darth Sidious. He would have never killed the Younglings by choice. Sidious lied and manipulated him, until the dark side consumed him. He was helpless to resist."

The rest of the Alliance had watched this debate silently until Fulcrum spoke up. "Master Obi-Wan is right. I know Anakin, and he would have never done those things by choice. How can you hold him liable for things he never wanted to do? He is no more guilty than the clones."

Bail said, "Even so, how can we be sure he is not currently under the Emperor's influence even now? He could be reporting back about this meeting as we speak."

Rieekan interjected, "Your Honor, I know my men. Anakin is not contacting the Emperor as we speak."

Yoda coughed once more to get their attention. "Disavowed the Emperor, Anakin has. Released him from the evil bonds I have."

"What if we're all wrong? What if—"

Obi-Wan asked, "Bail, are you sure your fears for your family are not clouding your judgment?"

Bail shot an angry glance at Obi-Wan. He looked over at his daughter sitting beside his wife.

Mon Mothma said, "We don't have much time. I am calling a vote to bring Anakin Skywalker into the Alliance. Please indicate your vote on the console in front of you."

It took many minutes before each of the ten gathered around the table had cast their votes. Mon Mothma read the results. "It appears, we have a tie. Queen Breha, I must ask you to cast your vote."

"I can't. You don't understand. This isn't just about the Alliance. I cannot be neutral."

"I'm going to have to insist that you set any personal feelings aside and let logic rule," Mon Mothma said with firmness.

Breha stood up, looking to her husband and then her daughter, and finally to Padmé. "I vote that we accept him."

Bail's face transitioned from victory to utter dismay.

"I'm sorry, Bail, but we need him."

"Bring him in," Mon said.

Two security guards moved to the hatch and ushered Anakin Skywalker in.

"Release the cuffs."

The guards looked at Bail, who nodded reluctantly.

Mon Mothma grinned and gestured to the man. "General Skywalker, welcome to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. You are now officially Rebel scum."

Anakin shook her hand. "Thank you for trusting me. I know your trust was not given lightly. I promise to prove my loyalty, up to and including death, if that is what is required to rid this galaxy of Darth Sidious." He turned to Bail, who stood to his right. "Do you still have my Artoo unit?"

Bail nodded.

"Could you please bring him in here? He has something I want to give you."

Bail transmitted the order through his comm unit. A few moments late, R2-D2, a blue and silver astromech droid, arrived.

As the droid rolled into the council room, Anakin moved to his old friend.

Artoo beeped and chirped something at the scarred man.

"Yes, Artoo, it's me. It's good to see you, old friend. It's been a long time." Anakin pressed a concealed button on the droid while R2-D2 streamed a lengthy message in binary. A small compartment opened, revealing a small controller. Anakin handed it to Bail.

All eyes were on the trio, now.

"What's this?" Bail asked.

Anakin stood to his full stature, coming eye-to-eye with Bail. "I was born in slavery, and my control chip is still active. To prove my loyalty to this cause, Bail, here's the controller. If for any reason you believe that I am betraying the Alliance, use that controller to detonate the chip and end my life."

Bail examined the antique controller, handling it with care. He looked Anakin in the eye. "I hope I never need to use it, Anakin. I'm not sure I could."

"Then give it someone who can."

"No, you entrusted it to me. I will do my duty."

After receiving a message on her comm unit, Queen Breha said, "Let us adjourn. Dinner is almost ready. After freshening up, please join us in the palace dining room in one half hour."

* * *

"Dinner" was quite the understatement. Breha had prepared a royal banquet for the dozen Alliance members.

Padmé had changed into a flowing blue evening gown, adorning her hair with jewels and an intricate crown. Anakin was still dressed in his old, black Jedi Robes covered in his cloak. He still felt very uncomfortable showing his scarred face in public.

Obi-Wan had changed to a new set of his Jedi Robes, but no one could tell if Master Yoda had changed or not.

Padmé had made Luke bathe and change into a fresh set of blue trousers and tunic. She added the burgundy surplice this time, much to his dismay. His hair was still damp, but at least it was clean.

Breha and Bail welcomed them as they entered. The Queen said, "The children will be dining in the nursery tonight. I'll have Threepio show Luke there."

Anakin clenched his hand and glared. "No. Luke eats with us. No palace, however secure, is free of spies. Sidious searches for him even now."

Breha and Bail both pulled back their eyelids in fear. Bail clasped Breha's hand. "Maybe it would not be such a bad idea for Leia to join us, Breha. She could keep Luke company."

The Queen nodded. "Excellent idea, my dear." She gazed around the vast hall until she spotted a security guard by the kitchen door. She motioned for him to come to her. "Lieutenant, please escort the princess to dinner."

"Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed stiffly before exiting.

Breha moved over to Threepio and told the droid, "Please prepare the table for two more guests."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Threepio said. "What are the names for the cards?"

"Master Luke Skywalker and Crown Princess Leia Organa. You may seat them together at the far end of the table."

Threepio extended his right arm in outrage. "But, Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is required to sit to your right."

"Let her have some fun with her friend tonight."

Secret Agent Fulcrum was prominently absent.

* * *

When the Crown Princess Leia Organa arrived in the dining room as hors d'oeuvres were being served, the group turned to the door.

See-Threepio heralded, "The Crown Princess Leia Organa."

The group clapped lightly as Luke ran up to his new friend dressed in a white, flowing gown with a diamond tiara wedged in between an intricate crown of chestnut braids. He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward his family. "Leia, I want to introduce you to my family. Come on."

Leia held up her long skirts to run on her heeled shoes. "Slow down." She breathed heavily. "We're not supposed to run in the dining room, Luke."

Luke turned and looked at her and then his father, who was giving him "the look." The boy slowed down, allowing Leia to set the pace.

When they reached his parents who were talking to Obi-Wan and General Rieekan, Luke pulled on his mother's arm. "Mommy, I want you to meet my friend Leia. Princess Leia Organa, this is my mother, Padmé Naberrie Amidala Skywalker."

Leia curtsied slightly and held out her hand. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Lady Padmé. I hear you were once a Queen on Naboo."

Padmé knelt down, tears forming in her eyes. "Yes, Leia, I was for two terms. And then I served as Senator throughout the Clone War. Thank you for being such a good friend to my son."

Leia looked at him and then back at Padmé. "He's all right, I guess." She rolled her eyes at Padmé and then complained, "Boys."

Padmé giggled with the girl. "I know. But one day, you'll find out that they're not so bad. I promise."

Luke stared at them both, noticing that their hair color matched exactly and that their eyes were not only the same color but the same shape. Something inside Luke told him to look at his father, but Anakin's hood was still up. "Daddy."

"What, Son?" Anakin held his hand up to Rieekan as he turned to the boy.

"Take off your hood. I want to see your face."

Anakin took one step closer to the boy, removing his hood. He bent down, allowing Luke to examine it at eye level.

"I was right," the boy said. "She has your ears. And Mommy's eyes. I think your smile."

Anakin looked quickly at Padmé, worried that Luke was opening a can of worms none of them were ready to deal with yet.

Padmé said, "Everyone has similarities, Luke. Her eyes are the same shape as General Rieekan's, too, just a different color."

"But you don't understand, Mommy. Leia's real mother was from Naboo. She was a war orphan, too. I wish she could find her real parents, like I did."

Leia said, "Well, I don't want to. My real parents are here, even if they aren't my biological parents. I wouldn't change them for anyone."

Padmé's mouth dropped in anguish. Anakin put his arm around her back.

Leia said, "I didn't mean to insult you. It's just that I love my parents. It is very nice to meet you, Lady Padmé and Gener—."

Threepio interrupted, "Dinner is served."

The guests moved to the seats indicated by the place cards. The human servers held each chair for the guests, pushing them into place exactly. A chamber ensemble played light instrumental music in a corner as the guests ate.

Anakin grimaced at the thought of more soup, but he hesitantly tried the nerf steak, enjoying the ability to chew his food and savor the flavors.

Padmé whispered in his ear, "Take it easy with that. You don't want to be in agony all night."

Anakin nodded and put his knife down, turning his attention to the mashed tubers. The vegetables were stringy and tough to bite into, which Anakin avoided. While he waited for the rest to finish their food, he caught Padmé staring at Leia more than once. His wife's face held the same look it had when he had seen her on Mustafar—her heart was breaking again.

* * *

After dessert, the group departed to their separate quarters. Bail and Breha approached Anakin and Padmé. Breha said, "Leia, why don't you take Luke here over to the window and show him the city lights for a few moments. Your father and I need to talk to his parents."

"Yes, Mother." Leia grabbed Luke's hand and led him to the window. The city was lit up for a winter festival, the girl's favorite time of the year.

Bail said, "Padmé, Breha and I need time to discuss things. Leia's our daughter. She has been for eight years now. She's also the next in line for the Alderaanian throne."

Breha took Padmé's arm and squeezed it gently. "I can see your pain, Padmé. I'm sorry if she said anything that hurt you. We're distressed over this, too."

Anakin wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "This isn't what anybody planned. I'm most concerned about Leia's safety. If the Emperor ever discovered who she really is, she would be in grave danger. Does she know how to defend herself yet?"

Bail said, "She has daily lessons in unarmed combat as well as personal weapons."

"Would you allow Master Yoda to train her in the Force with Luke while we're here?" Padmé asked.

Breha bit her lip. "She's never shown any Force ability. Is that necessary?"

Anakin said, "She is very strong in the Force. I saw her use it this afternoon. She already knows how to use it to aim. She's as strong as Luke. If she does not get trained, the dark side will consume her."

Bail shuddered. "Only Master Yoda, but no saber training yet. We don't need people jumping to the right conclusions. In the morning, Leia has school lessons. Have Luke join her. It will make it seem natural that she joins him in the afternoon with Master Yoda. The Council will meet tomorrow morning. Until then."

Padmé extend her hand to Breha, "Thank you for understanding."

Breha bit her bottom lip. "Thank you for the same. If the Force brought you here, the Force will work this out. Have faith."


	30. Chapter 29 - Skyguy & Snips

**CHAPTER 29—SKYGUY & SNIPS**

Luke was excited the next day when he found out he would spend the entire day with Leia, until they told him he would be taking lessons with her and her governess. As the party from _Silver Streak_ strolled down the Synthstone corridors with the wide windows, the boy dragged his feet, moving as slowly as possible.

Anakin, whose legs were finally responding to his neural input properly, pivoted in the corridor, allowing Yoda and Obi-Wan to pass him. "Luke, I've asked you twice before to keep up with us. What is your problem?"

He stopped, looking up at his tall father. "I don't want to have lessons with Leia."

"It's no different than if Piett or your mother were teaching you."

"Yes, it is." Luke hung his head so his father could not see the tears he was trying to hold back. "Leia makes fun of me. Calls me a nerfherder. And she already knows so much more than I do. I'm going to be lost before I even walk in the room."

Anakin knelt down beside his son, placing his arms on Luke's shoulders. "Hey, look at me. I wasn't the smartest Padawan at the Jedi Temple either. I was a slave when I went there. I knew how to fly and fix things, but not much else. And I'm going to tell you a secret. Can you keep it?"

Luke nodded his head after he wiped a tear with his sleeve.

"Girls who tease boys think that the boy is better than she is. She wants you to respect her, but she doesn't know how else to get your attention."

Luke snorted. "Not Leia. She just wants to control everything—including me."

Anakin grinned with a twinkle in his eye. _She's definitely like Padmé_. "You might be right, but you still can make it through one day with her. Tell you what, no matter what she says, don't react. Don't whimper, don't cry, don't get mad, just be at peace."

"Now you sound like Master Yoda."

"Partially, but it will also drive her absolutely nuts if she can't get you to react."

Luke giggled.

"After a while, she'll quit teasing you. Maybe then you two can help each other out. She's going to join you for your lessons with Master Yoda in the afternoon, too. I know she'll probably be scared at first."

Luke eyes widened. "She can use the Force?"

"Shh." Anakin held his finger to his lips. "She doesn't know it yet, and no one else around here is to find out."

"Got it, Daddy."

"Let's go find this princess of yours, then. We're late." Anakin rose to his full height. The two strode down the corridor, father and son side-by-side, Luke taking extra big steps to keep up with his father's long legs.

* * *

Anakin's strategy worked. It did not take too long until Leia was flabbergasted with Luke's lack of response, one way or the other.

When she would question him, he would respond, "It is the Jedi way." That response usually drew another response, leaving Leia just short of resorting to physical violence.

Luke smiled at her behind her back, chuckling. He could not wait to tell his dad how right he was about the little girl.

Leia outstripped Luke in politics, geography, history, and Basic language studies. However, she struggled in numbers and calculations. She could not even come up with the same answer twice, and most often both answers were incorrect.

Instead of boasting about his prowess in the subject, Luke felt led to help Leia instead. "Hey, you know all those facts about which ruler is from which planet what form of government they have. It's all memorization. Even math. You just don't know your facts. Why don't you go memorize your times tables for the threes. When you come back, I'll quiz you on them."

"No, thank you. I'd rather make a fool of myself on my own, thank you." Sarcasm masked her shame.

The governess, an elderly lady dressed in the blue livery of the House of Alderaan, intervened. "That's a very good idea, Your Highness."

"Well, I'll do it, but not with him."

Luke grinned. "What? You think you can't learn as well as me?"

"That's 'as I.'" Leia stuck her tongue out at him.

The governess corrected the young princess. "Your Highness, that was very rude. You owe your friend an apology for such unseemly behavior."

"He doesn't mind, do you, Luke?"

He shook his head with a slight grin on his face and his eyes narrowed, trying not to laugh at her. "Go memorize your facts, you weirdo."

"Not as weird as you." Leia hollered as she moved to the corner of the school room to work in peace and quiet.

The princess had a quick brain. With her reputation on the line, it did not take her very long at all to manage the 3's.

When she returned to the governess, though, she was shocked to be handed a datapad. "There is a review game for your 1's, 2's, and 3's times tables. Whoever finishes first will get this carved gundark for a prize. Ready, set, go." The governess removed a finely carved toy from her pocket.

Leia was just as quick as Luke in bringing up the game on the datapad, but Luke was quicker still in marking the correct answers as the questions appeared on the screen.

The boy took a moment to look over at the princess. She was biting a strand of her hair. When she got some wrong, she became increasingly frustrated. She caught him staring at her and glared back at him.

He averted his eyes back to his screen, continuing to answer his questions. He slowed down on purpose, glancing over occasionally at her. He could feel her anger building.

He took a cleansing breath as his father had taught him weeks ago when he was in the Bacta tank. He allowed the Force to pass through him in his peaceful mode and let it pass toward Leia. Luke felt her calming as her back relaxed and the tension between her eyes retreated.

Now he was on his last problem. He made a show of trying to figure it out, feeling through that other sense of his to know when Leia had finished.

Of course, she screamed in exultation. Using that other sense was not at all necessary. Luke beamed at her, happy that she was happy.

She jumped over to him and grabbed him in a hug. "I beat you. I beat you."

He held onto her, because it just felt right to hug her. He would fail every test if she would hug him like this every time.

* * *

While they were eating lunch in the schoolroom with the governess, Master Yoda appeared at the door. "Hmm, lunch? Any good, Young Skywalker?"

Luke smiled at the Jedi Master, making room at the table for him. "Yes, Master Yoda, very tasty. Try some."

Leia's wide eyes stared at Master Yoda. She thought she could identify any known life form in the galaxy with visual inspection only. She had seen him at dinner, but he was at the other end of the long table speaking with her parents last night. Up close, she could feel his wisdom emanating from him.

Master Yoda took a bite of the sandwich. "Mm. Very tasty indeed." He stood again, placing the rest of the sandwich on a plate. "Time to go. Next lesson waits."

"I have to change first. Mother doesn't let me do combat practice in dresses."

"Hmm, perhaps change you should not. One day you may be wearing a dress when your skills you need," Yoda said. "Dress is fine for what we're doing today. Come, come."

The Jedi Master hobbled from the room with his gimer stick.

* * *

He led the children to the landing bay where the _Silver Streak_ was docked. He waddled onto the ship and proceeded to the cockpit. He sat on the floor as Luke and Leia both took a command seat. Master Yoda motioned with his stick, hitting it on the floor.

The children looked at each other and sat down quickly in front of the aged Jedi Master.

"Leia, know you anything about the Force? The Jedi?"

Leia looked up, thinking. "The Jedi were the generals of the Clone War before the Galactic Empire. I've never heard of the Force before."

Yoda grunted at the Galactic Empire's revisionist history lessons. He waved his hand across the space. "The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Some can see it, touch it, use it. Close your eyes and empty your mind, Younglings . . ."

* * *

Outside the _Silver Streak_ in the docking bay, Obi-Wan removed his cloak and stretched his back and legs while Anakin did the same.

Anakin said, "Take it easy on me at first. I haven't done this in a while."

" _You_ haven't done this in a while? I positively creak every time I move, Anakin."

"Well, I just figured out how to walk again without tripping over my own feet."

"The truth is Master Yoda could finish us both off in less than a minute, and he's over 800 years old." Obi-Wan stretched his saber arm and rolled it in circles. "Let's just start with regular drills, nice and slow, building up in speed as we go. _Soresu_."

Anakin smiled back at his old master."Well, I'm certainly not going to try _Ataru_ any time soon."

The two men stood side-by-side a few meters apart. Obi-Wan said, "Begin. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Again."

After ten passes through the drills, Obi-Wan sped up the pace. After a quarter of an hour, both panted, and sweat streamed down their faces.

Anakin said, "I didn't realize how out of shape I was."

"Probably all that time at the med center. It'll come back." Obi-Wan straightened and moved in front of Anakin, facing him. "Sparring drills 1 and 2. Ready, set, go."

Anakin and Obi-Wan sparred for half an hour, pulling on the Force to strengthen them both. _Soresu_ fighting focused on tight blade work and subtle dodges to facilitate defensive maneuvering. The form required the least amount of footwork, but it also built endurance the quickest.

While the Jedi sparred against each other, workers on the other ships in the landing bay stopped their duties to watch. Over eight years had passed since anyone on Alderaan had seen a Jedi in saber combat.

With an audience watching, Anakin could not resist stepping the drills up a notch. Obi-Wan compensated as well. Now they were both huffing and puffing, and it was all either could do to pull their blades to avoid striking the other.

During their sparring, Master Yoda brought the Younglings out to the ramp to watch the Jedi in their drills.

"Wow! Look at that, Leia. My dad is amazing."

"Huh. They're both good. I think Master Kenobi will win, though." Her eyes took on a dreamy look. "I can't wait until I get my lightsaber. Then I'm going to take you out, Luke Skywalker, and show you what a woman can do."

"Hmm. Build one you must. But not yet. Much to learn about the Force first."

Leia sighed at Yoda's words. When the Jedi Master focused on the fighters, she caught Luke's eye. She winked at him and raised her hand in a mock saber battle.

Luke grinned but ignored her fake battle.

While the two old friends continued to spar, Master Yoda looked at the top of the yacht parked beside the _Silver Streak_. A creature dressed in grey moved across the fuselage, jumping like a Lothal wolf on the hunt. He carried two silver cylinders. They might have been lightsabers, but they were held in a reverse-hilt fashion. A metal mesh over a hard helmet masked the creature.

Master Yoda pointed him out to the Younglings. Luke seemed worried until he felt the Jedi Master's peace.

All of a sudden, the creature pounced between the two men, bringing his white lightsabers up, deflecting both strikes. "I can't believe how slow you two have gotten. Time for some real sparring, I think." The creature struck quickly with her sabers. The voice was definitely female.

As the two attacked the intruder, the Younglings dropped their mouths in shock. The intruder, whatever she was, moved incredibly fast. Although, Luke could have sworn his father was not using his full arm power in his swings.

The intruder said, "Come on, Master, have you become weak as well as slow in your old age?"

Anakin advanced on the intruder. "Not so old that I can't best a disrespectful Togruta with a weak handgrip." He swung and disabled one of her blades, calling it to himself. He laughed at her. "Wanna try again, Snips?"

Snips lunged at Anakin, pushing him back against the _Silver Streak's_ landing strut, while Obi-Wan sat back and watched. "The name's Fulcrum. And it's obvious only one of us has stayed in fighting trim, Skyguy."

"Whatever you say, Snips." Anakin grinned while Obi-Wan came up behind the cloaked Togruta. Kenobi grabbed her arms from behind as Anakin reached out with his right hand, yanking her remaining lightsaber from her hand.

After attaching it to his belt, Anakin grabbed the intruder by the legs while Obi-Wan grabbed her arms. They dragged her up the ramp of the _Silver Streak_ , landing her on the floor of the royal cabin. Yoda pulled the Younglings with him as he closed the ramp.

* * *

When they reached the cabin, the intruder wiggled on the floor, trying to break free. "Let me go!"

Obi-Wan grinned at his wiggling friend. "Not until we confirm you really are our Little 'Soka." He laughed as he pulled her mesh hood and hard helmet off. "You see, this thing was blocking your peripheral vision, slowing you down."

As he tossed it onto the floor, the Togruta pounced on Anakin and wrestled with him, knocking a vase with crash. The rest of the occupants stayed out of the way.

But it was not until Padmé entered the cabin that the battle stopped. "What is going on in here?"

Anakin stopped immediately at his wife's voice. He lay across Ahsoka.

The Togruta looked up and said, "Hi, Padmé."

"Ahsoka? You're Fulcrum?"

The orange Togruta smiled at her friend. "Guess so. Just had to teach Skyguy a lesson—he's gotten pretty soft over the last few years."

Obi-Wan laughed at that.

Ahsoka threw a vase at Kenobi, who dodged it with ease. "I don't know what you're laughing about, Old Timer. I could hear your joints groaning every time I swung the saber at you."

Master Yoda held his hand up. "Enough, 'Soka. Younglings have we here. Good example must you be."

Anakin lifted himself off his former Padawan and offered a hand to lift her up. She stood with grace, barely touching his hand.

Padmé concealed a laugh with her hand. "Would anyone care for some tea?"

Master Yoda hobbled over to one of the seats in the sitting area. "Tea, good. Much to discuss have we. Much to discuss."


	31. Chapter 30 - A Royal Scare

**CHAPTER 30—A ROYAL SCARE**

Luke fell to the training arena floor's squishy mat with a thud. He rolled to avoid the laser bolts from the training remotes. The mat absorbed most of his impact, but he would still have a bruise on his hip where he impacted the floor.

He scanned the large arena for Leia. The training coordinator had dimmed the lights, replicating a terrorist action. The metal edges of the platforms, cubes, and climbing walls glowed in the tall, dark room.

This was Luke's second day on the Alderaanian Security Forces' weapons arena, and he was glad that he insisted that Leia and he work as a team and not against each other. Luke felt out with the Force as he scrambled behind a climbing cube for cover.

 _There she is. Up there, about six more meters._ He felt rather than saw her raise her blaster at the training remote nearest him.

As she fired on that remote, Luke saw another remote behind the wall move into position to blast her. "Leia! Watch out. Re—"

Laser bolts hit the girl on the arm, dislodging her grip. Luke stretched out his hands, pulling in the Force as he had been taught, trying to slow her descent.

She continued to fall. His screams joined with hers. The screams cut off when she shuddered to a stop in mid-air only inches above the arena floor.

Luke turned to the main hatch as the lights in the arena turned on. His father stood there, his hands extended toward Leia.

Anakin pulled the girl to him as she sobbed hysterically. The tall man clutched her, smoothing her head. "Shh, you're safe, Sweetie. You're safe."

Footsteps thudded down the corridor. The training coordinator burst into the room, followed by Bail and Padmé.

"What happened?" Bail asked as Leia extricated herself from Anakin's arms and ran to her father. Bail knelt down and took the girl in his arms.

The training coordinator shook. "I was supervising the program from the control booth. A remote got her in the arm."

Leia gasped with hyperventilation.

"Deep breaths. Deep breaths." Bail lifted the tiny princess into his arms.

Padmé moved close to Anakin. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Daddy!" Leia sobbed.

"Shh, Leia. I need you to tell me what happened. Did Luke do something to you?"

Leia wiped the tears with the back of her sleeve and found the inner strength to calm herself. "No, Daddy. Luke tried to save me."

Bail looked at Luke, noticing that the boy was rattled as well. "Can you tell me, Luke?"

The boy glanced at the princess, not wanting to tell on her. He opened his mouth, but Leia cut him off.

"It wasn't Luke's fault. I had climbed up the back of the wall and was shooting at a remote that was targeting him. But another remote was up behind the wall and got my arm." The Princess pulled her padded sleeve up and showed the red mark the training remote had left. "I lost my grip."

Bail asked, "Where else are you hurt?" He turned her around, looking for broken bones. "How high up were you?"

"A few meters." Leia winced as her father felt her arm. "Luke's father caught me. With that Force thing."

Bail whipped his head around. "Master Skywalker, I don't know how I can repay you. Thank you very much. Breha and I are greatly indebted to you."

Anakin nodded. "No, Leia is like my own daughter, Bail. She will never be in danger as long as I am near."

Queen Breha arrived with a contingent of guards in her wake. "What happened? Leia, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mother, thanks to Master Skywalker."

Bail set her down, and Leia walked sedately to her mother. Tears streaked her face, and her hair escaped her braids. "Look at you. Such a mess. You're going to need a new training outfit, too." Breha stood up. "Go get yourself cleaned up, Leia, and meet us in the Council Room."

The tiny princess turned her head to Luke and then her father. Bail nodded his approval. She hung her head down and trudged out of the arena.

The adults headed back to the Council Room. Luke tried to follow Leia, but Anakin put his hand on his shoulder. "You're coming with me."

"Yes, Father." Luke grabbed Leia's dropped blaster, returning their weapons to the rack by the door.

* * *

Padmé trailed at the rear. As they turned a corner, she turned the other direction, heading to the royal chambers.

She heard sobs, then the crash of furniture and keepsakes disintegrating.

Padmé waved her hand at the door, but the hatch was biometrically secured. She knocked. A few more crashes. She pounded.

"Go away!" Leia yelled through the closed hatch. "I don't want to speak to you, Mother."

Padmé took a deep breath. "Leia. It's Padmé, Luke's mother. May I come in?" The Nubian waited patiently as she heard Leia move some items around in the room.

The little princess opened the door after many minutes. "Lady Padmé, please come in," Leia greeted as regally as she could after throwing a temper tantrum.

Padmé took stock of the situation. A face streaked with tears. Hair escaping the braids. A normally-elegant room resembling a natural disaster.

The Rebel leader ignored the mess strewn throughout the room by focusing on the architecture and fine furnishings, minimizing the embarrassment to the girl. The white Synthstone walls were at least four meters tall. A coved dome graced the ceiling, with recessed lighting highlighting the architecture. A white and silver design covered the walls.

Leia's furniture was in shades of black and white with silver accents. Padmé could tell the accents were real silver that had to be polished daily to repel tarnish. A gargantuan canopied bed hung with heavy white tapestries took up the center of one wall, while doors on the adjacent wall led to closets and a refresher.

A small table with art supplies stood by the window. Paint brushes littered the carpet, staining it in a rainbow of colors. A vanity stood opposite the bed between the two pane-glass windows. Drawers stuck out at staggered increments, with contents jumbled. A few items covered the floor.

Leia gestured toward the bed. "Please, have a seat anywhere."

Padmé gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, the only option other than the floor at present.

Leia remained standing. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" She pulled on the hem of tunic and brushed a stray hair back.

Padmé patted the bed and shot the girl a small smile. The princess obeyed and sat with an extremely straight back, not disturbing the bed.

The Rebel leader pulled her daughter into an embrace, holding her, comforting her.

Leia started sobbing again, not able to hold it in at all. "I'm not supposed to cry in front of people," she bawled.

"Shh. I won't tell anyone. Sometimes we all need a good cry." Padmé rubbed the girl's back. "I wasn't much older than you when I was elected Queen of Naboo. If I didn't have my handmaiden Sabé to cry on, I would have never made it through the first week."

"Really? Queens cry?" Leia pulled back and looked at Padmé, questioning.

Padmé nodded. "Hmm-huh."

"Well, how come my mother doesn't cry?"

"She does. Every decision she has to make has two sides to it. She can never please everyone, so she has to make decisions that are the best for her people, even if they hurt people she loves," Padmé said. "And every decision hurts her."

Leia nodded.

"You will have to do that one day. When you do, it is imperative that you don't break down in front of your court. Your advisers have to trust you, and there will always be at least one enemy. You can guarantee it."

"Not here. Mother's advisers and court love her."

"I'm sure there's at least one that doesn't, and it's probably the one that seems the most pleasant." Padmé smiled at the girl. "That is your first lesson in politics—not everything is as it seems, and the people that seem the most trustworthy usually aren't."

Leia nodded at her. "I wish you could be here all the time."

Padmé mumbled, "I do, too." The two looked into each other's eyes, the same chestnut eyes staring back at each other. Padmé shuddered when she saw recognition in Leia's.

"Let's get you cleaned up, and then we'll both go back to the Council Room. You need to watch your mother—in everything she does. You will rule one day. It is your destiny, Leia."

Padmé grabbed the girl's hairbrush from the floor and combed through the tangles, gazing at her daughter in the mirror, seeing her own face in the same image.


	32. Chapter 31 - Change of Plans

**CHAPTER 31—A CHANGE OF PLANS**

Padmé and Leia sneaked into the Council Room while Admiral Ackbar detailed their battle strategy for isolating unexpected Imperial ships. Padmé caught Anakin's glance and moved to him and Luke.

Breha stood beside Bail watching intently, her face stiff with worry. Leia nestled in beside her mother, who placed her hand around her daughter's shoulders. She gave her a comforting squeeze and pointed out a few key points to the operation.

Not long after their arrival, the hatch slid open, admitting a royal messenger. The woman in royal livery approached the queen and whispered in her ear.

Breha interrupted Admiral Ackbar. "I apologize, Admiral, for the interruption. We are receiving a Code Red transmission from our junior senator on Coruscant that I believe you all should hear."

The Queen pressed a few buttons on her console, revealing a young Alderaanian man, with his hair in the traditional long braids of the clansmen from the hill country. The transmission reverted to blue static and then returned for a few seconds.

"Imperial troops [crackle]—vading the city. The Emperor has declared martial law and has disbanded the Imperial Senate, claiming that some of the highest senators are plotting his demise even as we speak. Two Imperial fleets of star destroyers are sta—" The transmission cut off as two stormtroopers grabbed the senator.

The Council Room broke out in panicked babble. After a few seconds, Mon Mothma called the Alliance back to order, the adrenaline raging through every member.

Rieekan said with a worried frown, "That changes everything. We're going to need a lot more troops."

"And ships," Ackbar said.

Bail leaned on the hologram table. "How did the Emperor find out? Only the people in this room know anything about this."

Master Yoda lifted his gimer stick. "No leak here. The Force is strong with Sidious. Warning it has given him."

"Well, I'm beginning to dislike this Force more and more. What good is it if it's not on our side?" Threepio asked, interpreting Tarfful's Shriywook growls.

Obi-Wan crossed his arms. "The Force is a tool. It is neutral. Those who wield it can use it for either bad or good. Like that blaster over there. I can use it to protect people, but others can use it to attack. The morality does not lie in the tool, but in the wielder."

Mon Mothma nodded slightly. "Admiral, how many more ships will you need?"

"Hmm. Capital ships. Those star destroyers weren't really designed to last long against a frigate. We need to focus on taking out their shield generators, allowing the snub fighters to take out the guns. I expect the TIE fighters to swarm in heavy numbers as well. We will need at least five more heavy ships, with as many snubs as we can get."

"What about the ground forces?" Bail asked. "If we already have platoons of stormtroopers on the ground . . ."

Fulcrum spoke up for the first time all morning. "I can get you five more capital ships with five thousand armed troops, if you don't care where they come from."

"There aren't that many ships left in the Alliance," Ackbar said while wagging his chin tentacles.

The secret agent smirked mischievously. "I never said they would be Alliance ships."

Mon Mothma considered the offer. "We can't accept help if we don't know where it's coming from. What if they're aligned the Imperials?"

"They're not. Neutral system."

Obi-Wan asked, "Then how can you be sure they will join us?"

"I have an inside connection. This system only wants the war to end. If we can promise it will end, they will join us."

Mon Mothma asked, "How long until they can meet us on Coruscant?"

Fulcrum looked up to the ceiling, calculating her transit time and unforeseen circumstances. "Five, maybe six days."

General Rieekan asked, "Can't you even give us a hint who is coming? I don't like placing my trust in an unknown."

Fulcrum shook her head. "If they agree, they will be the most well-trained warriors you have ever encountered. I have worked with them before. The key will be getting them to agree to join us."

"This seems highly unlikely—well-trained warriors on a planet that only wants to seek peace?" Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows.

Fulcrum bent her head and mumbled, "It's a splinter group. Not the official planetary force."

Anakin's sharp ears heard her. "Mercenaries then. How much will it cost us?"

"That is yet to be seen," Fulcrum said.

Master Yoda waved his hand to Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, accompany Fulcrum you will. Perhaps negotiation will turn the tide."

Fulcrum bit back a laugh. "Yes, Obi-Wan, I think you might actually help."

Admiral Ackbar said, "Stay in contact with us. When you are ready to leave, we'll coordinate our arrival on Coruscant."

Mon Mothma said, "We need to vote on this first."

Anakin sighed and mumbled under his breath to Padmé, "We won't win this war in a committee."

Padmé folded her hand over his and whispered, "Patience. Political protocol is necessary, or we would just be another arm of the underworld."

Anakin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in frustration.

Without giving the leader even time to propose the vote, the entire council said, "Aye."

Breha looked at Mon Mothma with a conciliatory grin and shook her head at her friend. The Alliance tended to rebel against many conventions.

Obi-Wan asked, "So, how are we getting there, Fulcrum?"

Ahsoka looked at Bail. "Got anything?"

"I have some Delta-7's down on the planetary defense pad. Take a couple of those."

"Are those old things still space worthy?" A sheen of sweat broke out on Obi-Wan's forehead..

Bail grinned at the man. "Of course . . . but you might want to complete a thorough preflight, just in case I'm wrong." He winked at Ahsoka as the two exited the room.

The Wookiee Tarfful growled something, which See-Threepio translated. "Master Tarfful says that if we can disable the Wookiee inhibitor chips, they would join the fight. They have no ships to add to the space battle, however."

"That's always been the problem—those inhibitor chips," Rieekan said. His eyes gleamed at the thought of adding Wookiees to their ground forces.

After a long silence with no suggestions, Rieekan shook his head. "Well, we'll have to wait on that. As much as we could use the Wookiees on this assault, we don't have time to take Kashyyyk first and remove the chips. We need to concentrate on what we can do. How are we going to get past those troopers and get into the Imperial Palace?"

Anakin said, "I can lead in the 501st here, taking out the guards. That will open up a path for the Jedi to get in."

"So, you're just going to march up the steps and expect to see the Emperor?" Rieekan asked.

"He already knows we're coming. Nothing will be a surprise. It will just be a waste of effort to pretend otherwise." Anakin changed the image to the Imperial Palace.

Master Yoda motioned with his cane. "Waiting for us he is. Traps he has laid here and here and here." Yoda pointed to each area of the old Jedi Temple, which was now the Imperial Palace. "Wait we must for Obi-Wan and Fulcrum to join us. Every Jedi will we need."

Mon Mothma looked at the group, intense faces eager to start this mission. "Gentle Beings, Operation Liberty has begun. May the Force be with you."

The entire council cheered in unison. "May the Force be with you!"

As the company broke up, Bail intercepted Anakin. "How are you planning on getting to your fleet without giving away our location here?"

"The _Silver Streak_ , I suppose."

"Well, if you're going back to your fleet, I'm going with you." Bail glared at the man. "Your troops and fleet are vital to the success of this mission, but one wrong word in the wrong place can destroy us."

Anakin tilted his head. "You still don't trust me, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Very well. Meet me at the _Silver Streak_ in an hour." Anakin walked a few steps and then turned back to Bail. "And bring a blaster."

As Bail exited, Anakin turned to Padmé and Luke. "Luke, I want you to stay here. Protect your mother. Protect Leia. If this mission fails, the Emperor will look for you both. I will leave orders with the security forces to get you off planet. Return to Tatooine. Hide in Obi-Wan's cave."

"I want to go with you." Luke grabbed his father's hand.

"No, and that's final."

Luke hung his head in agreement.

Padmé's eyes, however, burned with fire. She placed her hand on Luke's shoulder. "Go find Leia and stay with her. Your father and I need to talk."

"Yes, Mother."

As soon as Luke was gone and the rest of the council room had cleared, Padmé said, "I'm going with you, Anakin. I'm not going to lose you again."

"Padmé, no. I may have to do things . . . that you would never want to see. I may not be—"

"No." She took his gigantic hand in her small one. "I'm going with you. Anakin, it was only when you were with Palpatine alone that you were deceived. I'm not going to let that happen again." She stroked his face, pulled his head down toward her, and kissed him softly. " _Together_ we can defeat him, Ani. Apart we will fail."

He took in a breath, closing his eyes, as he thought through how everything could fail, how she could die so easily at the hands of Sidious.

"Besides, I know of many places to hide on the _Silver Streak_. You wouldn't know I was aboard until it was too late. So, would you rather me hide on the ship or be in your bed during transit?"

He tilted his head, smiling. "Obi-Wan has nothing on your negotiation skills. But Luke is staying here."

"I agree. He and Leia will be safer here."

* * *

Luke discovered Leia walking down the corridors with her mother. He ran to her and grabbed her by the hand, whispering something in the girl's ear.

Leia's lips curled, and she lowered her eyes in anticipation. She turned to her mother, her face composed in regal comportment. "Mother, may Luke and I go play in my quarters?"

Breha knelt down to her daughter. "Yes. I think that would be fine. You were very attentive in the council meeting. Enjoy yourself this afternoon."

"Thanks, Mother." Leia kissed her on the cheek and ran off down the corridors, hand-in-hand with Luke.

"Leia, a princess doesn't run." Breha's words were lost underneath the twins' giggles and footsteps.

* * *

When they reached Leia's rooms, Luke grabbed a satchel from her closet. "Quick, change into your combat gear while I pack us some food. Are those blasters in the arena any good outside the arena?"

While Luke rummaged through a cabinet in the bedroom, Leia changed her clothes in the walk-in closet. "Of course, they are. We just have them set to stun in the arena."

"Good. We'll swing by there first."

"Where are we going, Luke?"

"To the _Silver Streak_. Quickly, Leia. We don't have that much time. We have to get there before the rest do." Luke slung the bag over his back.

Leia exited the closet, now dressed in her combat suit and boots. She slung another bag over her shoulder and joined Luke in the bedroom.

"What's in that?"

"Clothes. I'm not going to wear the same outfit for an entire week, Luke. Really!"

He rolled his eyes at the girl and led the way down the corridors. The twins worked together, hiding in alcoves, running into empty chambers, evading the adults.

In one room, Luke found a bowl of fruit on a side table. While Leia kept watch, he emptied the entire bowl into his bag.

The princess looked back just in time to see him bite into one. She laughed when he gagged and spit out the bite.

"What is this?"

"Wax. They're fake. Only for display." Leia giggled at him as he dumped the decorations on the floor.

"It's not funny. These taste horrible." Luke spit on the polished marble.

"Gross!"

* * *

When they made it to the arena, the place stood dark and empty. Luke looked at each blaster, choosing one for himself with the highest charge. Leia grabbed her pistol that she usually used and a blaster. After shoving the gear into their bags, they headed to the _Silver Streak_.

* * *

No one was near the _Silver Streak_ except the astromech droid R2-D2. The droid beeped an inquiry at Luke, who ignored him. The droid scolded them as Luke led Leia quickly onto the ship.

The boy found a storage compartment near the top of the ramp in a dark alcove beside the turbo lift. There was a bench molded to the bulkhead, but nothing else.

Leia looked at it and then back at him. The place was cramped and austere. "This is your big plan?"

"Yeah, they'll never find us here."Luke smiled with enthusiasm.

"You're a fool." She pushed past him.

"Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?"

"Stop quoting Master Kenobi, weirdo, and get in here before they find us." Leia pulled his arm.

Luke pushed the control outside the hatch to shut the unit and jumped in as the door slid down behind him.


	33. Chapter 32 - Stowaways

**CHAPTER 32—LASER BRAINS**

"Shh!" Luke urged inside the dark storage compartment. "They're coming."

"I can't hear them."

"I can feel them." He laid his hands on Leia' shoulders.

She shrugged them off. "What are you doing?!"

"Hiding you from Master Yoda and my dad."

"You can do that?"

"Uh-huh, but I'm not very good at this. I hope it works."

"But—"

"Shh. I can't concentrate with you jabbering."

Leia glared at Luke.

The twins silenced as they heard the others entering the ship. The loading ramp closed with a load clang, and then the turbo lift activated. Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

"So what do we do now?" Leia asked.

He looked around and grinned. "Sit here and wait until we get to wherever we're going, I guess."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you don't have a plan."

"Hey, I'm making it up as I go."

"Laser brains." Leia crossed her arms and turned her back to him. She pulled her feet onto the bench, tucking her knees under her arms.

He did not respond as the engines fired up, deafening both twins. They both put their hands to their ears as the engines vibrated the compartment.

Leia tried to ask him a question, but Luke could not hear a single word. Luke thought, _I can't hear you!_

Leia's eyes opened wider when she realized she could hear Luke. She tried to respond, "Is it safe—"

 _Think it. Don't say it! Use the Force._

Leia took a breath and tried to pull in the Force as their compartment shook. As the craft tilted for launch, she fell into the corner of the bench and the bulkhead, and he fell on top of her. Neither could move. _Is . . . this . . . safe?_

 _It's a little late to be asking that question, don't you think?_ Luke asked.

 _You are such a nerfherder. I can't believe I followed you on this cockamamie adventure. You said we'd have fun. Well, I'm not having any fun, Luke Skywalker._

He wished he could turn her off, block her out of her mind. _What have I done?_

Eventually, the ship broke the atmosphere and the thruster engines cut out when the hyperdrive cut in.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Luke crawled off the princess as the artificial gravity activated.

"Yeah, I guess not."

He smiled at her with his warm, loving smile that could melt any heart. "And it was kind of fun sneaking around."

She moved her eyes to the right as a small grin crossed her face. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

Both of them laughed.

"Oh, Luke, my life was sooooo booorrring before I met you. Let's be best friends forever." She wrapped her arms around the boy from the back, pulling him back on top of her.

"Yeah, I'd like that." _I'm gonna marry you, too._

When Leia heard that thought, she responded with a smile of her own.

* * *

Ten hours later, Leia awoke with Luke lying across her legs. His head rested on her left arm, which tingled with pins and needles. She moved a bit, trying to wake him up. "Luke, get up!" She pushed him again, lifting her legs to move him.

He rolled off the bench onto the deck. "Huh?" he asked with a yawn. "Are we there yet?" He stretched his arms above him, his left fist hitting the bulkhead.

"No, just get the door open. I need to use the refresher," Leia whined, crossing her legs.

Luke stood and looked at the door's control panel. When he punched the release button nothing happened. "It's locked."

"Luke Skywalker," she yelled with her face turning red, "if you don't open that door right now, we're going to have a puddle in here." She clenched her teeth together as she whimpered.

He looked at her discomfort, realizing he could use the refresher, too. He grabbed his bag off the seat, taking his blaster out. "Stay back." He pushed her back into the corner. He aimed his blaster at the door controls and turned his head. When he squeezed the trigger, the control panel burst into small flames. Then another door descended over the first one.

"Great, when you came in here, didn't you have a plan getting out?" Leia squirmed on the bench.

* * *

Anakin jerked out of his sleep a few hours after he and Padmé had finally succumbed to their exhaustion. He sat up on the edge of the bed, grabbing his dark blue robe and his lightsaber.

She rolled over. "What was that? Are we being attacked?"

"No. There's an intruder below us." Anakin tied his robe, his metal appendages sticking out of it as he stood. "Stowaways."

Padmé knelt on the bed, grabbing her own white robe to cover her negligée.

"No, I will deal them myself. Stay here."

She stood. "Shouldn't we tell Bail and Master Yoda?"

"That won't be necessary." The closing turbolift doors concealed Anakin's form.

* * *

Luke stood between Leia and the door, protecting her the best he could as a lightsaber began sawing through the layers.

She could not move, for fear of embarrassing herself with her physical needs. She whimpered occasionally as the pressure on her small bladder intensified.

As soon as the hatch layers fell into the small compartment, Anakin poked his head inside, lightsaber ready. Luke waved. "Hi, Daddy."

Leia pushed past him in a hurry.

Anakin stopped the little girl. "Not so fast. Where do you think you're going?"

She hyperventilated. "The 'fresher!" She whined in desperation and pushed past him.

Anakin turned slightly to give her room to get past him as Luke grabbed their bags. Anakin picked up the blaster that was on the bench, looked at it and then at Luke. Luke shrugged. Anakin shook his head in disbelief.

When Anakin and Luke reached the turbo lift, Leia was still there with the doors open and her legs crossed. "How does this blasted thing work?"

The Jedi aligned his eye to the retinal scan and pressed the controls.

The lift could not move fast enough for Leia. As soon as the doors opened, she ran into the refresher to her right. The hatch was no sooner closed than the girl started to cry.

Padmé's mouth dropped when the girl ran out of the lift. She shrugged her shoulders at Anakin and shook her head at Luke.

Leia's cries from the refresher drew Padmé to the hatch. "Leia, are you okay in there?" The sobs grew louder.

Anakin set Luke's blaster down on the console and nodded to Luke to sit in one of the seats. Luke could feel Leia's embarrassment.

"Dadd—"

"Silence!" Anakin pointed his finger at his son. "You have created enough problems."

"B-b-but . . ." Tears formed in his eyes. "Leia needs—" He held out her bag toward his father.

"Padmé," Anakin called as he grabbed the bag with the Force and threw it toward her. "Take care of her while I deal with Luke."

Luke's mother grabbed the bag before it hit the floor and opened the refresher hatch.

Anakin paced in front of Luke, struggling with how to deal with this problem. He pivoted and pointed at the small boy again. "You directly disobeyed my orders—"

"I know. I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't even begin to make this right, Luke." Anakin sat in the seat next to Luke, leaning over him. "Do you even have any idea what type of danger you've put yourself and your s—and Leia in?"

"We just thought it would be fun." Luke shrunk back from his father's wrath. Luke felt the rage consuming him. "Please, Daddy, we didn't mean any harm."

"It's one thing to do something this foolish on your own, but to drag others into it with you . . ." Anakin's eyes caught the gleam of the blaster that was on the console. "And where did you get this blaster? You could have killed someone, Luke."

The boy lowered his eyes in shame. "I took it from the training arena."

"You stole a blaster from the Royal House of Alderaan?" Anakin gripped the sides of the chair.

"Well, Leia took two, also, so really I didn't steal them. She is the princess, so they're hers."

"That's a very fine line of semantics you are crossing, Luke. Beware. It will lead you astray if continue down that train of thought."

"Yes, sir." Luke asked, "So what's going to happen to us? Are you taking us back?"

"No, we don't have time." His father clenched his teeth and then took a deep breath. "Whatever Bail decides for Leia, the same applies to you. Is that understood?"

Luke could not escape the intensity of his father's blue eyes. "Yes, Father."

Padmé and Leia exited the refresher unit, interrupting the interrogation. Anakin turned to them.

Padmé laid her hand on Anakin's arm. "It's too late to go into all this right now. Bedtime for everyone."

Anakin furrowed his brows at her, huffing.

"I said, 'Everyone.' Come on. Leia, you can slide in here next to me. Luke, you're on the other side with your father. We'll deal with this in the morning, when we've all had a good night's sleep and a chance for our tempers to cool."

Padmé climbed into bed, sliding toward the middle, her back toward Anakin. Leia slid in beside her as Padmé wrapped her arms around the little girl.

Anakin removed his robe and slid in from the other side, while Luke crawled in next to him. The Jedi waved his hand to turn off the light with the Force.

In the darkness, Luke mumbled, "Daddy."

"What, Son?"

"Are you still mad at me?"

"No, just afraid for you and Leia. What you did was very foolish, Son." Anakin held onto the little boy.

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

"I know you are, but 'sorry' won't fix this mess you've gotten us into. Now go to sleep." Anakin rubbed his son's arm in fatherly affection. "I love you, Son."

Luke could have sworn he also heard "I love you, my little Leia."


	34. Chapter 33 - Mercenaries

**CHAPTER 33—MERCENARIES**

After two days stuck in a fighter, Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief when the Delta-7 transitioned from hyperspace to the final system on their flight plan. What he was not expecting was running into a full squadron of fighters greeting Ahsoka and him upon exit from hyperspace.

A stern voice came over their comm channel. "Unidentified fighters, you have entered into Mandalorian-controlled space. Leave or be fired upon. This is your only warning."

Ahsoka replied from her Delta-7, "Commander Wolffe, this is Fulcrum. Again, this is Fulcrum, clearance code Forn-seven-five-six-seven-resh-esk-xesh."

"Copy that, Fulcrum. Cap's waiting for you on the tarmac. Wolffe out."

Ahsoka unlocked her hyperdrive ring and dipped her craft toward the moon Concordia orbiting Mandalore. Obi-Wan followed suit, close on her tail.

* * *

When the ancient Delta-7 fighters landed on the Concordia moon, Ahsoka sprung out of her cockpit and bounded up to a gigantic man with a bald head and white beard. She leaped into his arms.

"Glad you're back, Ahsoka. The place ain't the same without you."

"Yeah, you probably all got soft while I was away." She punched his chest playfully.

"Where did you dig up that old fossil?" Rex squinted at the man climbing out of the other fighter.

The Togruta grinned. "Are you talking about Obi-Wan or the Delta?"

Rex smiled back at her. "Both."

"A lot's happened, Rex, and you're not gonna believe the half of it. Let's go inside and talk this out."

Rex wrapped his arm around Ahsoka's shoulders and led her toward the compound. With a raised eyebrow and a knowing grin, Obi-Wan followed them.

* * *

Captain Rex, formerly Clone Trooper 7567, led the two visitors into the heart of the moon training arena that spanned a few kilometers before them in all directions. They reached the subterranean arena via an industrial metal stairwell with observation flights after descending every two meters. From the first landing, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka took in the sight of hundreds of platoons training across the arena.

Some practiced hand-to-hand, while others worked with blasters against training remotes or even other warriors. All wore Mandalorian armor in different colors with the Mandalorian symbol placed on the chest and personal markings on the helmet, backs, and arms.

"Are these all clones?" Obi-Wan asked while pointing at the soldiers below him.

"Hardly. Most are pure Mandalorians who volunteered for service at the birth of the Empire," Rex said. "Duke Korkie thought it wise to rebuild the army in secret in case of attack."

Obi-Wan whipped his head to Rex. "Korkie Kryze?"

Rex swallowed a breath. "Korkie took the throne eight years ago."

Obi-Wan mulled over that thought. Clan Kryze had been so adamant to pursue peace instead of war during the Republic. It made no sense for them to be building a fighting force now. "So how much does it cost to rent these mercenaries?"

"You'll need to discuss that with the Duke. He's open to his troops receiving battlefield experience, but his rates can be quite high." Rex tilted his head as a tall figure in a blue suit and cape strode across the training grounds. "Here he comes now."

The trio hurried down the stairwell to meet the Duke of Mandalore.

Rex bowed perfunctorily. "Your Grace, I have the honor of presenting—"

"General Obi-Wan Kenobi. A pleasure indeed to meet you again. My aunt will be delighted." The young man with brown hair shook Obi-Wan's hand. He winked when he said that last statement, smiling when he saw the shock on Kenobi's face.

"And if it isn't my old teacher, Ahsoka Tano. Things must be coming to a head faster than we thought if you two are here."

"Your Grace, it is always good to see you." Ahsoka hugged the young man in fond greeting.

"Come, then, and inspect the troops, General. Then we can discuss terms." The Duke led them to the first platoon working on unarmed combat techniques.

"I'm not a general anymore."

"Hmm. Everyone who has ever hired my armies has always insisted on being the general, usually to their own demise. I finally have a qualified general negotiating with me, and he refuses the title." Korkie laughed. "Well, you may not think of yourself as a general anymore, Obi-Wan, but if you want my armies, they will need a general."

Kenobi returned his attention to the unarmed combat, liking what he saw. "How long have they been in training?"

"You mean, are they green recruits?" Rex asked. "About three thousand have been with us for over five years. I took over training eight years ago. The veterans have three Hutt skirmishes under their belts, as well as one all-out smuggler war in the Corporate Sector. The younger are pretty green, but they have been trained to the highest ability of Mandalore and Clone techniques."

"How much?" Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed.

"How many? Which levels? What expertises?" the Duke asked.

With his hands on his hips, Obi-Wan looked the Duke in his eyes. "All of them."

The Duke whistled softly and started calculating. "Level of risk? How many do you expect to come back?"

Obi-Wan rubbed his brow in deep thought. "Less than twenty-five percent. This is an all-out, one-chance-in-a-lifetime mission. If we don't succeed, death or life-time Imperial imprisonment. Former clones will be killed."

"So, what you're really saying is that none may come back?"

"That's the risk every soldier takes in every battle, Your Grace," Rex said with his hands on his hips.

"Hmm. Six million credits for the use of the army, with an additional hundred thousand credits for each life lost over twenty percent."

"Five million credits, and you have a deal."

"Five it is. When should I expect your ships here to pick them up?"

Obi-Wan said, "You're delivering. We were promised your ships in this deal as well."

Korkie raised his hand. "Now just you wait. I never mentioned a single thing about the ships, General."

A smooth, contralto voice from behind them said, "Give them the ships, Korkie. I would rather my men be protected by crews that know what they're doing."

The group turned to see the owner of the voice, none other than the former Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze.

Obi-Wan's jaw dropped. _But . . ._

The former duchess smiled at her old friend.


	35. Chapter 34 - Short, Blond, and Cute

**CHAPTER 34—SHORT, BLONDE, AND CUTE**

An hour later after Luke's own trip to the refresher, both of the kids slept without a care in the galaxy.

Padmé could tell by the way Anakin was moving that he was still wide awake. She rolled over in bed, trying not to disturb Leia, and touched his arm.

Anakin rolled over, almost nudging Luke onto the floor in the process. Fortunately, the boy did not feel a thing when Ani caught him in mid-air and settled him back on the bed.

She whispered, "Ani, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. We can't send them back to Alderaan on their own . . . and I can't spare any men from the operation." He ran his hand down his wife's arm.

"How about your destroyer? Is there a safe place they could hide there?"

"Perhaps, but if they get boarded or the vessel is destroyed . . ."

She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth at the thought. "Well, how about after?"

"After what? The operation?"

Padmé nodded.

Anakin refused to answer, his eyes hardened.

She asked, "You don't expect us to win, do you?"

"I never said that."

She reached up to face, holding his jaw. "I can see it in your eyes, Anakin."

"Whatever happens to me, Padmé, don't let Sidious take the children. Kill them if you must."

"I can't do that, Anakin, so you'd better take care of Sidious." She turned her back to his chest, nestling her head in his shoulder. "What if we win? What then?"

"You go back to Naboo? I come with you with Luke—"

"Do you really think we can separate the twins now, Ani? We've seen what Luke is capable of. He would sneak off on the first freighter he could find and race back to Alderaan to be with Leia."

"I'd be tempted to do the same thing." Anakin buried his nose in his wife's hair, inhaling the flowery fragrance. "This is such a mess. And then the re-establishment of the Republic isn't going to be easy. You'll be busy with that . . ."

She grabbed his left hand and traced his fingers. "No. Ani, I decided on our last night on Naboo . . . I'm leaving politics, for good. I want to be with you—wherever you are—and I don't want anything to come between us, including duty."

He whispered, "I'm resigning, too. I've spent too many years fighting someone else's war so that one day I could be at peace. Until these last few weeks, I'd even forgotten what peace is."

Padmé pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed his fingers. "I love you, Ani."

* * *

The next morning, the twins awoke before Padmé and Anakin. They slipped out of bed and climbed into the chairs in the sitting area.

Padmé, who had been awakened when Leia slipped out of bed, pretended she was asleep, listening to their whispered chatter.

"How much trouble are we in, Luke?" Leia had tucked her knees under her chin with her feet resting on the edge of the chair. She tapped the edge with her bare toes.

"My dad was really mad last night. I'm not sure." Luke picked at a thread on the arm of the chair. He looked back at the princess, smiling with gleaming eyes. "But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

She smiled back and giggled softly. "Yeah. My mother is going to be soooo mad when she finds out I'm missing."

"Well, what do you think your father will do? He's going to find out this morning. He's only a couple of decks above us, you know."

She giggled. "Oh, Daddy will be upset at first, but then I'll apologize and tell him I'm much safer when I'm with him anyway. He'll be fine with it."

"If you say so."

Padmé took this in, realizing that her daughter was quite the little manipulator—which was not a bad trait to have politics, but it was rather deplorable that she was using it on her own parents. She determined to have a little talk to set the minx straight.

Luke's next words jerked Padmé out of her thoughts. "Hey, what are we going to do when I have to go back home with my parents?"

The princess grabbed his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Oh, let's not talk about that now. It's going to be bad enough when it happens."

"I wish it wouldn't. I feel something in the Force between us, Leia, like we're meant to be together. Can you see it?"

"The tendrils between us?"

"Yeah, they've always been there. They're like the ones I have with my father. It's how he knows where I am most of the time, unless I'm hiding in the Force."

"That's strange."

"What?"

"I have the same tendrils to your father, Luke. What does that mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe just 'cause we can both feel the Force, and I'm your friend?"

"Maybe."

"Hey, Leia, you ever think about getting married?"

"Of course. I'm going to have the most spectacular royal wedding, just like a fairy tale. And my husband will be tall, dark, and handsome . . . debonair, suave . . ."

"How about short, blond, and cute?" Luke raised his eyebrows at her and beamed his most charming smile.

Leia winked at him. "It's a deal."

Anakin jumped at those last words. He whispered in Padmé's ears, "We have to tell them. Come on, time to get up."

"We should tell Bail that she's here first. And he should make the decision whether we tell Leia or not."

"Very well. Do you want me to tell Bail or you?"

Padmé sat up in bed and pulled on her robe. "Definitely me. I don't want him choked, and I don't want you blown to bits. Love you both too much to let that happen." She kissed Anakin on the cheek before standing.

* * *

Padmé sat opposite Bail in the cockpit while Anakin watched the twins in the royal suite below decks, and Yoda meditated in the crew quarters.

"What did you need to tell me, Padmé?"

"Anakin found a couple of stowaways on board last night."

Bail stood, ready to head downstairs. "Did he kill them?"

She chuckled. "No, of course not. He wouldn't kill his own children."

"Leia's here?"

She nodded. "Yes. Anakin had to cut them out of a storage locker last night. They spent the night with us."

He sat down, putting his head in his hands. "Sometimes I don't know what gets into that girl. Neither Breha nor I know how to handle her sometimes."

"And she knows how to handle you." Padmé narrowed her eyes. "I heard her tell Luke how certain she is you won't be too angry with her."

"Oh, she's a little manipulator. I am putty in her fingers. That's why Breha does most of the disciplining—Leia knows what her dimples do to me. I can't resist them."

"Oh, Bail, I'm sorry. She got that from me."

"Yeah, and her temper from Anakin. You have no idea how many things she has broken over the years in a rage."

"I can imagine."

"Well, that's neither here nor there. We don't have time to take them back, and we can't take them to the surface. How about they stay aboard the destroyer?"

"That's what Anakin and I were thinking, but he says they could get boarded or even destroyed."

Bail started to pace. "Oh, what I'm going to tell Breha? She's probably already realized Leia's missing. I'm sure she's frantic by now. There'll be a message waiting as soon as we drop out of hyperspace in a few hours."

Padmé grabbed her old friend by the arm. "Relax. We can't do anything about that right now. Besides, we've got an even bigger issue. Luke's proposed to Leia."

"They're only eight."

"Ani was only nine when he told me he was going to marry me." Padmé's gaze intensified. "We need to tell them, Bail."

"No. It would ruin Leia's chances for any political career if people were to know that she were the daughter of Darth Vader. Be serious, Padmé. The whole goal of this Alliance is to restore the Republic. The Republic will need leaders. Strong leaders. Leia is the Crown Princess of Alderaan after all." Bail inhaled a deep breath, staring at Padmé. "And I hope one day she may be more than that. I hope she could be Chancellor one day."

"She should know the truth then, Bail, even if no one else does. Do you not trust her to be able to keep this secret?"

He asked softly, "What if she would rather live with you?"

"That won't be an option. You adopted her. I may be her biological mother, but Breha is her real mother."

"You have no idea what my daughter is capable of."

"I think I do. I've seen her in action these last few days." Padmé tilted her head and pursed her lips. "She needs a mentor, Bail, someone who can teach her how to navigate the tricky politics of the Senate, not just how to be a proper lady."

"What do you think I've been doing?"

Padmé stood, pacing to the control area of the cockpit. She ran her hand along the edge of the console while the blue planes of hyperspace flashed beyond the viewport. "It's different for a woman. There are different things you have to look out for. Different techniques you have to use to be accepted in the Senate."

"Well, how about you?"

"Be serious. That would cause more complications than we can deal with. Besides, I'm stepping out of politics after this mission. Ani and I have already decided we're going to go back to Naboo and raise Luke—no politics, no war, no Jedi Order to pull any of us apart."

"Except Leia." Bail looked at Padmé. "Leia will eventually pull us all apart. We should have never let her meet Luke."

"It's too late now."

"Ah." Bail rubbed his jaw. "I don't know what to do, Padmé."

"Well, we're going to tell Luke. I'm not going to have him going through life thinking he's going to marry Leia. Right now it's only friendship, but I don't want his heart broken. He gives his heart very easily, and I never want him to lose that."

"Will he keep it a secret? If you told him it was for Leia's protection, would he keep his mouth shut?"

"Yes. He may not always obey, but he will protect Leia with his life. Of that I am certain."

Bail took a deep breath and rubbed his hands on thighs. "All right. You can tell Luke, but not Leia. Can you send Leia to me? I need to have a little talk with Her Highness."

Padmé smiled, feeling sorry for her daughter. "Word of advice, don't look at her when you talk to her. Stare at the bulkhead if you have to. She can't charm you if you she can't use her face."

"Good to know." Bail escorted her to the turbo lift. "Oh, and, Padmé?"

"Yes?" She turned back from the turbolift.

"Leia will need a personal bodyguard one day. I can't think of anyone better than a Jedi Knight her own age." Bail smiled.

Padmé smiled back at him with a slight nod.


	36. Chapter 35 - Prelude to War

**CHAPTER 35—PRELUDE TO WAR**

Obi-Wan gazed at the silver stars sprinkled on the black canvas of space. The vast bridge viewport of the _Venator_ -class Mandalorian warship _Hodayc Verd_ provided an unobstructed view for thirty meters from side-to-side.

Obi-Wan could handle the darkness of space. This was calm. There was very little risk to sub-light space travel in wide-open space. His eyes darted around the command console as he reminisced about the Clone War on a bridge similar to this one.

While of contemporary construction, the ship's design hearkened back to the days of the Old Republic, at least a thousand years before. It was very similar to the Jedi cruisers used in the Clone War and the _Victory_ -class Imperial star destroyers of today.

The triangular shape provided maneuverability in tight locations. Its weaponry included cannons, lasers, and sonic charges.

When Captain Rex's image appeared on the holocomm device behind Obi-Wan, the Jedi turned and addressed the man. "What's the status, Rex?"

"All systems are go. We are awaiting your signal to jump to lightspeed."

"All right." Obi-Wan punched a few buttons on the console. "Waiting for a response from the Alliance." A few seconds later, a text transmission displayed on Obi-Wan's wrist communicator. "It's a go. All ships, jump to lightspeed on my mark. Three, two, one, mark!"

The twinkling stars transformed into streaks of blue light before settling into the geometric planes of hyperspace.

The general activated the ship's intercom. "Minimal crew rotations while we are in hyperspace for the next two days. All troops be ready to fight upon entry into the system."

Some would take that announcement to mean rest and relaxation, but the sergeants and captains would make sure physical conditioning as well as briefings on the upcoming missiontook place.

Kenobi kept his head lowered to avoid seeing the hyperspace distortion through the starboard-side corridor viewports as he exited the bridge. He collided with a figure heading toward him.

"Forgive me, please," he said, not looking up, gulping the bile that churned in his stomach even now. He wondered if everyone on board knew how much space travel made him uneasy. Obi-Wan waited for the figure to pass by him for many silent moments.

"I do," a velvety voice murmured.

Obi-Wan involuntarily jerked his head up at that voice, locking his eyes onto the owner. His breathing increased when he saw her, the second time in as many days. His lips opened, wanting to say something to this woman.

After a long silence, she tried to push past him. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry."

He reached out his hand in a bold move, blocking her way. "Satine, I don't understand. Maul . . . You were dead. I held you. You were dead."

"Med droids revived me, but it took years to recover. When I came out, the clans were in an uproar, all fighting for the throne. I tried to find you. You were gone. Some said you were dead."

Kenobi looked at his feet. "The Rebellion. I was protecting someone. In hiding." He dared to raise his eyes to her, fighting the nausea hyperspace caused.

The former duchess tilted her head and looked at her old friend. The years had been hard on the man. The Clones Wars, the Empire, losing his best friend to the dark side. It had all taken a toll on him.

She said, "I never forgot you. I never forgot what you said. I only regretted that our duties got in the way."

She moved closer to him, bringing herself within inches of the man, the Jedi Master. "And I'm not going to live the rest of my life with regrets." She reached forward quickly and pulled Obi-Wan's head to hers, pressing her lips to his with tenderness.

Obi-Wan pulled away, looking around for anyone that may have seen them. "Satine . . ." He shook his head, full of regrets, knowing where his duty lay. "Satine, I can't."

"You told me once you would leave the Order if I asked. I'm asking now."

Obi-Wan grabbed her hand and pulled her into an alcove. The blue distortion of hyperspace lit their faces erratically as he spoke. "There's a good chance that none of us are going to survive this operation."

"I know." The former duchess lowered her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I don't want you to die without hearing the truth." She gazed into his eyes and took his hand. "Obi-Wan, I love you." Tears glistened in her eyes as she waited for his response.

"I know. I've always known."

"Is that it? Is that all I mean to you?"

"I've taken _vows_ , Satine. I cannot violate them."

"Vows to what? A defunct Jedi Order? It doesn't even exist anymore, Obi-Wan." Satine pulled her hand from his. "How can you be loyal to a non-entity?" She clenched lips together and narrowed her eyes. "You're afraid."

Obi-Wan looked away from her at the bulkhead beside him.

"I see now that you were _hiding_ behind everything. They weren't obstacles to you. They were welcome barriers. First it was my position, then it was the war, and now it's the non-existent Jedi Order. I guess I was wrong. I thought you were a man of courage." Satine crossed her arms.

"But, no, you're only a slave to an outdated ideal. Well, don't worry, Obi-Wan, I won't be bothering you anymore with such trivial ideas of love." The exasperated woman gathered her flowing skirts together and strode out of the alcove and down the corridor.

Obi-Wan leaned against the bulkhead of the alcove, holding his head in his hands.

Bail sat at the comm desk in the cockpit of the _Silver Streak_ when the hyperspace exit alarm alerted. The turbo lift doors opened, revealing the hulking figure of Darth Vader in his life-support suit.

Viceroy Organa stared at Anakin, the senator's heart palpitating at the sight of the Dark Lord of the Sith. Bail fingered the control chip in his pocket, ready to push the detonator if the man stepped out of line even once.

Anakin sat in the pilot's seat. "As soon as I hit the sub-light engines, start your transmission. Once the Imperials spot us on their scanners, they will deactivate our long-range communications array."

Organa jumped at the ominous, deep voice through the vocalizer of the helmet, so different from the voice he had heard these last few days. Bail held his hands over the control, the frequency already set.

Anakin held his hand over the sub-light engines switch. "On my mark—three, two, one, mark!" Both men hit their buttons precisely together.

* * *

Bail stared at the comm station. "Come on! Come on! Someone, pick up!"

A blue hologram of a security officer appeared. "Mountain Palace Station One. Identify yourself."

"Viceroy Bail Organa, requesting to speak with Her Majesty the Queen. This is priority code besh-three-aurek-isk-five-eight-leth."

"Your Grace, I will transfer you now. Her Majesty has been trying to reach you—"

Anakin turned to Bail. "They've spotted us. Hurry up." TIE fighters circled around the small yacht, hovering but not firing.

"Never mind. There isn't enough time. Just tell her I have Lei—"

The transmission cut out as another voice came across the speakers. "Nubian yacht, this sector is restricted. Leave this system immediately or be boarded."

Anakin said, "Clearance Code vesk-auresh-five-one-dorn-esk-resh-six-three requesting permission to land."

Another voice came over the speaker in reply. "Lord Vader, an honor squadron will escort you to Landing Bay 1. Welcome home, my lord."

"Thank you, Piett. Vader out." Anakin turned to Bail. "When we land, follow to my left and behind me. Then Artoo. Padmé will follow last of all with the children, Master Yoda guarding them. Don't speak to anybody. Am I making myself clear, Organa?"

"I'll speak only if it is necessary. But I warn you, Anakin, I go where you go. If you prevent me from shadowing you, I will not hesitate to detonate the device."

"Understood." Anakin nodded his heavy helmet. He returned to the controls as the small ship entered the gigantic hangar on the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_. Lines of stormtroopers and officers stood in honor guard formation in the hangar.

* * *

Once the ship had touched its landing claws to the deck, the thrusters released excess steam. The loading ramp extended at a sedate pace, revealing the black figure of Darth Vader.

The Sith Lord stomped down the ramp, his black cape swirling behind him. Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan, dressed in his blue robes of office, followed behind him and to his left. A blue-and-white astromech droid rolled down the ramp, beeping and tweeting at the sight.

Behind them, a young woman draped in a blue sleeveless gown followed with two small children holding her hands, a boy and a girl. Lastly, an aged figure not even a meter tall hobbled with a cane down the ramp. A small, cylindrical object swung at his waist beneath his coarse robe.

Admiral Ozzel stood at attention at the end of the ramp, with Captain Piett beside him. Ozzel gazed at the small creature and sneered.

"Admiral Ozzel, make ready for the hyperspace jump to Coruscant. I want every ship at battle stations when we come out of lightspeed."

"Yes, Lord Vader." The Admiral raised his hand near his face with a hesitant finger curved near his chin. "Lord Vader."

"What is it, Admiral?"

The older man said with a shake to his voice, "We've had some difficulty with the clones when we removed their inhibitor chips, My Lord. Some went quite mad." Ozzel's eyes widened in fear.

Anakin bowed his head in compassion for the men. "Well, what did you do?"

"We tranquilized some, but others we had to shoot." Ozzel lowered his head, waiting for the wrath of Vader to descend.

"You what?" Vader advanced on the man, but he pulled back in a minute after catching a glimpse of Bail with his hand in his pocket. Anakin could feel the fear in Luke and Leia, as well as the sorrow in Master Yoda at his outburst.

Piett interrupted. "They started shooting indiscriminately. We had no choice, My Lord. When we saw what was happening, we sedated them for the procedure and brought them out slowly. Some adapted well. Others, not so well."

"How many of the troops did we lose?"

Admiral Ozzel said, "Forty-four permanently. Over a thousand are sedated."

"An eighth of our force? Is it the same on the other ships?"

"On the _Coercer_ , it's worse. Over half had to be sedated," Ozzel said.

"That changes things. Admiral, have our medical staff work on reviving those men. Try to reach the Mandalorians. There are a few former clones with them that have removed their chips. See if they have any advice for this madness."

"Yes, Lord Vader." The Admiral saluted and departed quickly.

"Piett."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Show my guests to their quarters and find some real food for them." The canteen dispensaries served protein sludge and water only, as both were easier on the waste systems of both crew and ship. Anakin knew the children would need real food, and Padmé, too.

"Perhaps, we could bring some up from Brentaal's surface, My Lord."

"No time. Search the men's lockers. They usually have something stashed away, if I remember my days in the war." Anakin looked back at the _Silver Streak_ , thinking for a few breathing cycles of his regulator. "Also, have maintenance install a full array of armament on the yacht. I want it operational by the time we come out of hyperspace."

"Yes, My Lord." Piett added yet another impossibility to his datapad. But impossible was what Piett specialized in.

Anakin marched off, conferring with Ozzel about the placement of the fleet.

Before Anakin exited the hangar, he turned one more time to Piett. "Captain Piett, order the men to paint their armor. Any design they prefer. One color per legion. They won't be able to tell friend from foe, otherwise."

"Yes, my lord." Piett quickly sent the order out through his datapad to all commands.


	37. Chapter 36 - Kisses and Foolishness

**CHAPTER 36—KISSES AND FOOLISHNESS**

Luke and Leia had spend the day of hyperspace travel in boredom. Both were confined to their own quarters. Leia's father shadowed Anakin like a mynock. Luke's mother insisted on remaining with Anakin as well—to save his life and his soul.

Anakin had requested Master Yoda's input as the Rebels and the Imperials reworked their plan together. Everyone was on edge, as there was no way to contact either the Rebels or the Mandalorians while they were traveling through hyperspace.

Before his parents left in the morning, Luke asked, "Can me and Leia stay in here together? It's no fun when we're in different rooms. Please?" He widened his big, blue eyes and stuck out his lower lip.

Anakin turned at the main hatch, his helmet in his hand. He raised his eye ridges at his wife in question with a tiny smile.

Padmé knelt down, grasping Luke's shoulders. "Luke . . ."

Luke nodded. "I miss her, Mommy."

"Well . . ." Padmé glanced at Anakin with her eyebrows raised and mouth open in question.

"I'll talk to Bail. If he agrees, we'll leave Artoo with you." He pointed his finger at Luke, "But I want no misbehavior. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Daddy. Thank you, Daddy." Luke's eyes brightened as his wide smile exploded across his face. The boy ran over to his father and grabbed him by the leg in a hug.

Anakin beamed at the little boy and ruffled his son's sandy hair with his gloved hand.

Padmé crossed to Anakin, wrapping her right arm around his waist and placing her left hand on Luke's shoulder.

The boy said with a catch in his voice, "I just wish . . . that we could _all_ be a family again."

Padmé sighed as she ran her fingers through her son's hair and nestled her head into Anakin's chest armor. Her husband positioned his helmet on his head, his regulated breathing masking the pain Luke felt through the Force.

Telling Luke that Leia was his sister may have been the wrong decision. Leia could never know.

* * *

When Bail heard that R2 would watch over the children, he repented his decision to keep them separated. Leia's misery had eaten away at him these past two days, wearing down his resolve.

At least he could trust the droid to keep them under control. There were too many places on a star destroyer those two could get into trouble.

So, Leia found herself with Luke, in Darth Vader's quarters, playing with paper fighters created from recycled food wrappers. The tiny princess chased him around both rooms in the suite, with R2 right behind them beeping and chirping.

They climbed on top of the furniture, jumping off and rolling to the ground in sequence. It was like they both knew what they wanted to do before they did it.

At one point, they were both on the floor within easy reach of the astromech droid. The droid beeped and whistled at them, grabbing their toys with his pincher arm. He rolled into them, herding them back into the reception room.

"Oh, Artoo, why'd you have to ruin our fun? It was just getting interesting," Luke said with a puckered lip and eyes crunched together.

The droid scolded him with an incessant stream of beeps.

"We didn't mean to break it."

R2 beeped back at him, rolling into him so that he would sit on the couch next to Leia. As the droid dimmed the lights in the quarters, he produced a holographic recording.

Luke and Leia leaned forward, watching a young man and young woman on a terrace overlooking a lake. An elderly man stood behind them.

The woman's lace dress fluttered in the breeze. A lock of her curly hair flowed down across her chest, sneaking out of her white headdress, while a thin braid fell across the man's shoulder.

The man in the brown robe and black leather surplice took her hand. His golden prosthetic glinted in the sunlight as the yellow orb sunk below the horizon.

Luke said with excitement, "That's Varykino. That's Naboo. I've been there, Leia."

"Yeah, but look at her dress. It's so beautiful. Who are they?"

"Artoo, go back a few seconds. Yeah, where they grab hands. Can you zoom in on them?"

The droid adjusted the image as requested.

"They're my parents, I think."

"Look at the beading on that dress—they look like precious gems. I want a dress just like that when I get married." Leia's eyes glazed over. "Diamonds and maybe some rubies for a hint of drama."

As the couple kissed, Luke said, "Oh, Artoo, why did you have to show us that? It's bad enough when I have to watch them kiss now."

"Hush, I think it's romantic," Leia said with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Your father certainly was handsome." She winked at him. "Now I know where you got your good looks."

"I think I'm going to puke," he said while holding his belly in exaggeration and crossing his eyes at her.

Leia whacked his chest playfully. "If they never got married, you wouldn't be here."

"Please, I don't even want to think about that!"

She leaned close to him. "Well, I'm glad they did, or I wouldn't have you." She quickly pecked him on the cheek.

He raised his hand to his cheek, his skin flushing in embarrassment and something he could not quite name.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He shook his head slowly from side-to-side, a small smile creeping upon his face. _She's your sister_ , he reminded himself as he secretly desired another kiss from the small princess. Luke grasped her small hand in his, just holding it for a minute. "Your hands are cold."

"Mummy always says 'Cold hands, warm heart,'" she said with her infectious laugh. "Artoo, do you have any other vids?"

R2 beeped at them.

Luke asked, "Ooh, you have war vids? The Clone War?"

R2 beeped back again, scrolling through different vids in front of them.

"I don't want to watch war vids, Luke." She tilted her head and asked, "How about we get out of here?"

"We promised our parents we wouldn't get into trouble today. Besides, the hatch is locked."

"I didn't say we'd get into trouble. Come on, as long as Artoo is with us, it should be fine," Leia said, wheedling him with her voice. She opened her eyes to their widest and batted her eyelashes at him. "Please."

He shook his head and snorted. "Girls." He shook his head in disbelief. "Come on."

R2 emitted a long string of beeps, rolling into both Luke and Leia, in an attempt to stop them.

"How are we going to get out of here?" he asked.

The princess looked at the astromech, rubbing the top of his silver dome. "Artoo, you are so smart, I'm sure you could open this hatch in no time at all."

The squat droid retreated, letting off a string of beeps that did not sound nice at all.

"Artoo, watch your language." Luke shook his finger at the droid. The boy examined the hatch control and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh. I'm trying to concentrate. Gotta find the . . . right . . . connection." Luke gasped in exasperation.

The blastdoor quickly slid open, revealing an empty corridor. The children grabbed hands and ran down the hallway with the silver astromech droid beeping his disapproval in their wake.

At the junction of another corridor, Luke asked, "What do you want to see? The barracks? The maintenance area? The guns?"

Leia smiled at him with her eyes sliding to the side. "How about a TIE fighter?"

He grinned back at her before dragging her down the corridor to the right. Life was definitely more fun with the princess.

* * *

After reaching the primary hangar, they saw maintenance crews installing laser cannons on the _Silver Streak_. To their left sat a row of _Lambda_ -class shuttles, but to their right was a squadron of TIE fighters in their launch bays.

Luke led Leia across the mammoth hangar, skulking behind crates, gas cylinders, and other ships.

When R2 caught up to the hangar, beeping and whirring in frustration, the children sprinted across the deck to the personnel ladder next to a TIE fighter launch bay. They skittered up the steps and crawled into the TIE fighter through the top hatch.

"Wow! Cool!" Leia said as she looked out the viewport. "Can you fly it?"

"I can figure it out." He thrust his chest out and climbed into the pilot's seat. He waved his hand above him, closing the hatch with the Force. When he looked at the controls in front of him, not sure what else to do. He pushed a few buttons, but nothing happened.

Leia gazed at him, her eyes going wider as she watched Luke push more and more buttons buttons. As the craft jerked to life, she fell on top of the boy. When he grabbed her arms, she pressed her lips to his.

Just as he realized she was kissing him, the hatch above them opened. He heard R2 beeping loudly and then a rough voice through a vocalizer, "I found them. Power it down, kids."

Luke looked at the controls, trying to figure out which one to press. He hit his hand on one, which caused the craft to lift, launching from the cradle and jerking the stormtrooper commander through the hatch.

"Land this craft now."

"I don't know how," Luke blubbered, while Leia still pinned him down.

The stormtrooper flung both of the kids to the floor of the TIE and swerved the craft right before it hit the magnetic shield. He landed the craft with a rough jolt in the middle of the hangar. "What were you thinking? Heading out into space without a life-support suit? You'd be out of oxygen in seconds! Now get out!"

He pushed the scared children through the upper hatch to the stormtroopers that surrounded the craft. As the man pulled himself up, he groaned.

A dark figure with a billowing cape entered the hangar. Three smaller figures followed the man.

The clone trooper recognized them all from his years in the wars—Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, former Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo whom he had thought dead, and Master Yoda whom no one had seen in years, presumed dead after Order 66.

Vader rumbled, "Commander, well done. I could use a man with your talents on our next mission. Code designation?"

After jumping to the ground, the trooper stood to attention swiftly and saluted. "SCM-2224, My Lord."

"Cody?"

The stormtrooper hesitated before nodding. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time, my lord."

"Report."

"Caught these two Rebels trying to steal a TIE fighter, my lord."

Vader inclined his head toward the boy and girl. "Stealing a TIE fighter? I thought you promised you'd stay out of trouble today, Luke."

As Luke bit his lip, Vader grabbed the boy by his arm roughly. Bail cleared his throat, causing the man to release his grip slightly.

"I wasn't trying to steal it. That was an accident," the boy said, looking at the deck. "If Leia hadn't kissed me—"

Padmé pulled Bail back a few paces exchanging a worried glance. She raised her eyebrows at the man, clenching her teeth. Bail raised his hand, motioning for her to relax.

She whispered, "Bail, you have to tell her."

"Alderaanians kiss to show all types of affections, Padmé. It's cultural."

"Well, that's not how it happens on Tatooine nor Naboo. If we let this go on much longer, Luke's going to be so confused—"

"Fine. Then tell her." Bail's eyes became hard as agates.

"You want _me_ to tell her?"

Bail nodded. "Just don't take her from me."

Vader said, "Escort these two back to my quarters and set a guard at the entrance, _Captain_ Cody. They are not to leave without my permission. Oh, and, Captain, join us in the strategy tank when you are done."

Cody nodded to his superior. "Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord."

Padmé stepped forward. "I'm going with them. Her Highness and I have a few things to discuss."

"Very well." Vader strode out of the hangar back to their strategy meeting.

* * *

Padmé dragged both children down the passageway, with two stormtroopers trailing the party. She shoved Luke into her quarters and sealed the hatch. "If he so much as touches the controls, contact Lord Vader immediately."

"Yes, milady," one of the troopers said.

"And get two more guards up here. After her highness and I have a chat, I want her hatch secured, as well."

"Yes, milady."

Padmé shoved Leia into the quarters. "Sit down, young lady. Now."

Leia's lip wiggled as she blubbered and tears streamed down her eyes.

"Your tears won't work on me, Leia, so stop it." Padmé paced in the little room, not sure how to broach the subject. "You do realize that your little stunt today almost got you both killed?"

Leia nodded her head, biting her lip, trying not to cry.

"You don't have that luxury, young lady. You are a crown princess. You have a responsibility to your people. But more importantly, you have a responsibility to your family." Padmé sat next to the girl as her temper calmed. "They all love you very much, and you would leave a gaping hole in their hearts if you died."

"It was an accident. We were just going to take it on a joy ride around the hangar. And then when it started up, I fell on Luke. His elbow hit the controls—"

"And when in the middle of all this did you decide it was a good idea to kiss him?"

Leia looked back at her, confused. "What's the big deal? It was only a kiss."

Padmé took a deep breath. "Luke's from Tatooine. It's different there than on Alderaan. A kiss means a lot more for a boy there, and you're confusing him, Leia."

"But I love him. Just like you loved Luke's daddy at your wedding."

Padmé frowned at that last statement.

"Artoo showed us the holovid today."

The woman wrung her hands wondering how to tell the little girl the truth. "Leia, what I'm about to tell you is a state secret of the highest level. You are not to discuss it with anybody else. If you do so, your career in politics and the crown of Alderaan will be at risk."

Leia's eyes grew wider at the serious tone of her voice. She nodded.

"Leia, if you saw that video, you know what a good man he was . . . he is. The war changed us all, though. Four years on the front lines confused everyone's thinking about what was right and what was wrong and what we wanted to hold onto."

The princess nodded her understanding.

"Anakin wanted to hold onto me. He had dreamed of my dying in childbirth. When it appeared I would not survive the delivery, his _children_ were taken into hiding, to protect them from the Emperor."

Leia's eyes grew wider. "Children? Plural?"

Padmé nodded. "The Emperor knew that if Anakin were to have any children, they would be a threat to him. That is why Obi-Wan took the boy to his relatives on Tatooine . . ." Padmé watched as Leia's mouth opened in anticipation.

". . . while a good friend of mine adopted my daughter, making her the crown princess of Alderaan."

The girl's mouth dropped open, and her cognac-colored eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, Leia, it's you. You're Luke's twin sister. Now do you understand?"

"You're my mother?"

"Yes." Padmé clutched the girl to her chest in a strong hug. She stroked the girl's hair as tears streaked her face. "Leia, if anyone knew that you were Darth Vader's daughter, it would be very bad for Alderaan. That is why—"

"Daddy and Mummy never told me about my father." Leia pulled back from the embrace.

"And that's why it must remain a secret."

"Does Luke know?"

"Yes. We told him a few days ago." Padmé's smile dropped from her face. "Leia, if the Emperor finds out whose daughter you really are, you are in grave danger. You _must_ obey. No more tricks. No more jokes. No more adventures."

"I promise, as Her Highness the Crown Princess of Alderaan, I promise."

"And no more kissing Luke."

Leia scrunched up her nose at that. "How about on the cheek?"

Padmé clenched her teeth, staring at the girl for a few moments before acceding to the compromise. "On the cheek it is."

Leia turned and leaned back on Padmé's chest. "Mommy, tell me about when you fell in love with Daddy." The girl reached up and pulled on a stray lock that hung down Padmé's chest.

"I was a senator. He was my Jedi Protector . . . and so obnoxious."

"Boys!" Leia giggled, setting Padmé off with a tiny laugh.


	38. Chapter 37 - This Is Where the Fun Begin

**CHAPTER 37—THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS**

Luke and Leia rushed down the corridor in the wake of their parents and Master Yoda. He carried a sack with water and ration bars, and she had a blanket.

After traveling down many levels on a turbo lift, Anakin led the party to the center-most part of the star destroyer—a storage locker between the central ion engine and the flight control deck. Stacked storage crates and cables littered the small room that was to be the children's safe house during the coming battle.

In the far corner, a portable refresher unit stood with its hatch open. Luke was not sure if it was normally stored in this compartment or if his father had ordered it moved here. All he knew was that they really had no excuse to leave the cluttered room during the imminent battle.

Anakin removed his helmet, setting it on top of a shipping crate. "You two are not to open this door. When it is safe, one of us will come get you. There are no excuses. Do not leave here for any reason."

"Yes, Father," Luke said.

"To your father listen. Adventure, excitement, a Jedi craves not these things." Master Yoda raised a hand to emphasize.

Padmé knelt beside both children, hugging and kissing them both for a long time. "We'll be back. We promise. Just stay here and stay quiet."

"Yes, Mother," they both said as they continued to hug her.

Leia turned to her father Bail, who lifted the small girl into his arms. "I love you, Leia. You must obey. Your mother will kill me if anything happens to you."

"Yes, Daddy. I promise." Leia kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Daddy. You be safe, too."

"Yes, Darling, I will. I promise." Bail kissed his daughter once more and set her down on the deck.

Luke grabbed onto his father in the best hug he could manage. "Daddy, you be safe, too. I don't want to lose you."

Kneeling, Anakin grabbed Luke in a hug. "I will, Luke. I promise. The next time you see me, it will be in a better galaxy."

Anakin smiled in surprise as Leia grabbed onto his shoulder in a hug. "I love you, too, Daddy." She kissed him on his scarred cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But don't leave us here too long."

With tears in his eyes and both of his children hugging him, Anakin said, "I won't. We will be back as soon as this business is over." He looked at both of his children, sizing them up. "Leia, Luke has promised to obey, but I haven't heard anything from you. This is no game. You are not to head out of this room. Is that understood, young lady?"

Leia opened her mouth wide in outrage and then closed it again. "All right, I promise." She glared at him with crossed arms. "Can't get away with anything with you."

"No, you can't. You're just like your mother." Anakin winked at Leia.

Padmé playfully slapped Anakin on the arm.

"What?"

An alarm interrupted the party.

Leia asked, "What's that flashing?"

Anakin stood and put on his helmet. "We're coming out of lightspeed in five minutes. Go hide behind those crates. We'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

When the group reached the bridge, Bail, Padmé, and Yoda hung back near the security console while Anakin strode to the viewscreen, looking out at the geometric planes of bright blue

When the group reached the bridge, Bail, Padmé, and Yoda hung back near the security console while Anakin strode to the viewscreen, looking out at the geometric planes of bright blue. Anakin, through his vocalizer, said, "Admiral Ozzel."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Order the crew to battle stations before we come out of lightspeed. As soon as the sub-light engines engage, open a holocomm channel to our fleet and the Mandalorians so that I may address them."

Ozzel ran his finger under his collar and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Yes, My Lord." He turned to Captain Piett. "You heard Lord Vader—all crew to battle stations."

Captain Piett lifted his arm and pressed a few buttons on his communicator. Red lights flashed as a siren emanated through the bridge. "Battle stations! All crew to battle stations! This is not a drill."

The geometric planes transformed into blue streaks, then to pinholes, and finally to glittering stars in the black canvas of space. The super star destroyer Executor hovered on the edge of the Coruscant system, amid the five smaller Imperial-class star destroyers. The Mandalorian fleet slid into position on both flanks of the Imperial fleet.

Holographic images of each captain, as well as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, appeared in a circle around Vader.

"Welcome to Coruscant, my friends," Anakin greeted.

The Imperial captains looked nervously at each other, but Obi-Wan laughed.

"Today, we will free the Empire from slavery, once and for all. What we do today, we do not for ourselves, but for our children." He paused for a long moment, thinking of the twins in the storage compartment in the bowels of this ship.

"No longer will any live in fear. Our mission is a coup. Once the Emperor has been destroyed, Alliance forces will take control of the government, re-instituting the Senate. Senatorial representatives have accompanied us on this mission." Anakin pointed to Bail and Padmé. "Others are already on the ground. Still others will be arriving shortly."

He clenched his fist. "Today will be a day unlike any other. Today will be Restoration Day. Today marks the end of the Sith and the beginning of a New Jedi Order. Today, I am no longer Darth Vader. Today, I reclaim my true identity." Vader removed his helmet, displaying his scarred face on the hologram. "Henceforth, I shall be called by my true name . . . Anakin Skywalker, General of the Republic and Jedi Knight."

Cheers emanated from all of the ships, causing the comm officer to reduce the audio feed. Anakin said, "Captains, it is now time to alleviate this galaxy of the plague known as Darth Sidious. Plot a hyperspace jump into orbit around Coruscant. On my mark, jump." A few seconds passed as they beamed the coordinates to each ship. "Three, two, one, mark."


	39. Chapter 38 - The Battle Begins

**CHAPTER 38 - THE BATTLE BEGINS**

As two _Lambda_ -class Imperial shuttles and twelve troop transport shuttles dropped from the _Executor_ and the _Devastator,_ TIE fighters from Tarkin's fleet zoomed out of their destroyers like a swarm of Bahl flies devouring Troos crebiks. Two squadrons of Vader's TIE fighters escorted each shuttle and transport. The remaining complement intercepted Tarkin's fighters.

Anakin maneuvered his shuttle with the finesse only a Jedi could replicate. The passengers tossed against their restraining straps. Bail Organa turned green during the turbulent fight, and a few of the stormtroopers in the main cabin lost their lunches on the deck.

"Anakin, another coming in from behind." Padmé grabbed his arm.

"I see them. Hang on back there. We're going to hit the landing pad hard." Anakin spun the ship in a barrel roll, evading the TIE behind him. During the maneuver, he lost control as the shuttle spun in a flat spin toward the spires of Coruscant.

"Anakin! Pull up! Pull up!" Obi-Wan's voice came over the intercom.

Yoda unbuckled his straps and propelled himself to Anakin, landing on the console. He grabbed Anakin's right hand and nodded to him. Releasing the shuttle controls, Master Yoda and Anakin reached out with the Force, grabbing the shuttle.

Beads of perspiration formed on their faces as they pulled the shuttle together into control. Just as the shuttle was about to crash into an apartment tower, it jerked away and crashed hard on a landing platform about a hundred meters from the Imperial Palace.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's shuttle landed beside Anakin's, with each troop transport landing in sequence behind them. TIE fighters zoomed through the canyons of the city, shooting at the landing craft and each other. The combined Rebel forces scattered for cover, making their way slowly to the looming structure that was once the Jedi Temple.

Entire legions of stormtroopers surrounded the Imperial Palace. Tanks rumbled into the square. Anakin asked Obi-Wan, "Think the Mandalorians can bring in some air support here? We're never gonna get past those tanks without it."

Obi-Wan looked above the Coruscant sky as the lights from the electric billboards sputtered. "Here they come now."

As Obi-Wan shouted his reply, Ahsoka sprung forward, leading a squad of Mandalorians with her. "What? Have you two forgotten how to take out a tank?"

With a grimace, Obi-Wan said, "I hate it when she does that."

"Come on." Anakin ignited his saber and raced out.

Yoda followed quickly behind him, jumping through the air and deflecting blaster bolts.

Bail pulled Padmé into an doorway, both holding their blasters ready to defend their positions.

Ahsoka ran through the square with her white blades whizzing through the air. The nimble Togruta leaped atop a tank and tossed a thermal detonator into the upper hatch while Rex hit the lower hatch. They both jumped out of the way, rolling on the ground and knocking stormtroopers off their feet.

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda followed suit, taking out the other three tanks. Painted Rebel stormtroopers fought against white Imperial stormtroopers, with Mandalorians in their darker armor mingling in the mêlée.

Admiral Ozzel hunched over the battle display, monitoring the the Death Squadron, the Mandalorians, and the Rebels. The two small squadrons of Imperial star destroyers were gaining an advantage against them.

Tarkin's flagship, the _Harrier_ , had already disabled two of Death Squadron's star destroyers and was starting on a third. "Piett, microjump the _Executor_ to port side of the _Harrier_ at point-blank range. Order all TIEs to concentrate on their deflector shields."

Captain Firmus Piett pursed his thin lips together before objecting. "At that close range, we could jump right into their hull if Tarkin moves so much as a few meters."

* * *

Admiral Ozzel stared Piett down and reaffirmed his orders. "Either you will give the command, or I will, Captain. If we cannot take out the _Harrier_ and Grand Moff Tarkin with it, we will lose this _battle_ , not just this ship."

"Yes, Admiral." Piett shuddered and then punched in the codes for the microjump, not even trusting the navigators to the delicate task.

As soon as the _Executor_ emerged from hyperspace, the _Harrier_ ' _s_ guns blasted her starboard side, sending shockwaves through the ship. The _Executor_ fired back its own barrage. Brilliant light from both ships' laser cannons ignited the space between them.

Admiral Ozzel said, "Helmsman, adjust your course to mark seven zero. Full power to sub-light engines. Starboard guns, continue to fire."

Captain Piett said, "You're a madman! That's going to destroy both ships!"

"Yes, Captain. That was my idea. Perhaps now would be a good time to sound the 'Abandon Ship' alarms," the admiral said as he watched the prow of the _Executor_ turn into the _Harrier's_ port side. Collision alarms blared throughout the ship. Emergency lighting activated, casting an eerie red glow on the bridge.

"We've lost life support in forward compartments. Pressurization lost along the starboard side," one of the duty officers in the starboard pit reported.

Captain Piett sucked in his breath. "Sound the alarms. All hands abandon ship." He straightened his posture, placing his hands behind his back as he waited for the escape pods to release. The acrid smell of melting metal permeated the bridge, as the ventilation system filled with smoke from the burning prow.

When the power cut out entirely on the bridge, Piett murmured, "The children."


	40. Chapter 39 - You Call This a Rescue?

**CHAPTER 39—YOU CALL THIS A RESCUE?**

When the lights went out in the storage room, Leia said, "Something's wrong, Luke. Can't you feel the fear?" Through the blastdoors, the muffled abandon ship alarm was barely perceptible. "We've got to get to an escape pod." Leia pushed past her brother and banged on the blastdoor controller.

"Power's out, Leia. It's not going to open." Luke joined her at the door. He squeezed his tiny fingers between the seams of the door. However, the solid metal did not budge.

"We're going to die here, Luke." Tears streamed down her face.

"Shh." Luke put his ear to the door. "Do you hear that? There's people out there. Let's bang on the door. Maybe they'll hear us."

Luke and Leia pounded on the door, screaming for the crew to get them out.

* * *

With the glowlamp between his teeth shining down the maintenance ladder, Captain Piett led Admiral Ozzel through the bridge causeway.

As they climbed out of the access tube, Ozzel shined his glowlamp around the area. "There are no escape pods on this deck, Piett. We've gone too far." Ozzel returned to the tube. "Where are you going? I command that you return at once."

Piett looked at the admiral, concealing his contempt for the man with much effort. "The children are down here. I don't want to face Lord Vader without them."

Ozzel looked back at the man, considering his words. "You have a point."

The two headed down the passageway toward the primary flight deck.

* * *

On the darkened primary flight deck on the _Executor_ , two beams of light pierced the thick smoke as a sleek, rectangular ship landed on the disabled star destroyer. After the ramp lowered, a tall, blue Duros with a wide-brimmed hat and two breather tubes strolled to the center of the flight deck with his awkward gait.

Coughing and gagging, three more figures followed the man in the hat into the smoke-filled landing bay.

One said in a tenor voice, "I don't like this. This ship is on self-destruct."

"Relax," the Duros said with his gravelly voice, throwing his right hand back at his henchman. "If the kid is here, we'll find him quickly. Embo, check the escape pod bays."

"Right, Boss," the Kyuzo with a metal, wide-brimmed hat said. With his dense muscles, he slung his heavy bowcaster over his shoulder and padded off to a utility ladder that led to the next level.

"Twazzi and Fett, you're with me." The Duros led the Frenk and the Mandalorian bounty hunters through the thick smoke.

Fett's helmet filtered the smoke and toxins, but the tall Frenk with the diamond-shaped head struggled as the air thickened.

As they stumbled down the central passageway, Fett's high tenor voice rang out. "Bane, here."

They stopped in front of a supply room blastdoor.

Bane's red eyes glared as he adjusted his wide-brimmed hat. "What?"

"Someone's in there. Helmet's picking up knocking from inside. Two lifeforms." The bounty hunter in green armor nodded to the hatch.

"We don't have time to rescue anyone, Fett."

"Bane, sensors indicate they're children. I think one of them's our acquisition."

Twazzi continued to cough, trying to find clean air in a small alcove.

Cad Bane yelled toward the blastdoor. "Get back! We're gonna blast this door."

Bane and his crew stepped away from the door as he threw a thermal detonator at its center. The device blew a hole in the middle of the panels.

Before Bane could rush the door, two children climbed through the crack. The Duros grabbed the first one through, a young girl, lifting her up by his forearm. Fett grabbed the boy.

The girl grabbed onto Bane's forearm and sank her teeth into it. She kicked and squirmed against him.

Bane winced as she kicked him hard below his waist, doubling over in pain as the girl broke free of his grasp. He reached his hand out and seized her by her braids, pulling her back.

The tiny girl screamed and yelled. "Let go! My father's a senator. You'll pay for this."

The boy squirmed in Fett's grip. Luke extended his hand. Instantly, Twazzi's blaster jumped to his hand. Luke aimed at the Frenk. The boy said, "Release us, or she dies."

Bane spat on the deck, drawing his own blaster with his free hand and pointing it at the girl. "No, drop the blaster, or she dies."

The boy looked at Bane's blaster and then to the girl in Bane's clutches. He lowered his arm, allowing the blaster to drop to the deck.

"You're pretty smart, boy. Hurry, now, back to the ship." Bane led the group through the passageway while fire engulfed the far end of the flight deck. Bane hauled the girl like sack of tubers over his shoulder, limping toward his ship as the flames threatened to engulf it.

Fett followed Bane, dragging the boy behind him by his arm. Twazzi stumbled through the smoke and then collapsed in the middle of the deck. Embo hurried over to her and dragged her up the ramp as it closed. The ship launched just as fire engulfed the flight deck.

* * *

Captain Piett halted at the end of the passageway, watching the bounty hunters abscond with the children. When he reached the flight deck, the flames forced him back as the ship sped out. Piett turned around and raced for a ladder to an escape pod, hoping one still remained.


	41. Chapter 40 - For Our Children

**CHAPTER 40—FOR OUR CHILDREN**

Squads of the 501st stormtrooper legion raced across the courtyard in front of the Imperial Palace to meet the oncoming Imperials. Padmé, Bail, and Anakin took up positions behind the burned-out remains of a shop. Store owners fled the scene as the capital planet came under fire.

Tanks rolled through the courtyard, with squads of Imperial stormtroopers in pure white marching in formation. Blaster fire erupted, with green and red laser fire zooming across the intervening spaces. Both sides took heavy casualties.

When Padmé poked her head around the corner to aim her blaster fire, Anakin pulled her behind him in safety. Just in time, he pushed out his hand, absorbing the laser fire and deflecting it back to his attacker. The former Sith Lord raised his blue saber and advanced on the attacking squads. His wife stayed in his wake, shooting around his hulking figure.

Bail shuffled from one structure to another, maintaining cover while observing Anakin's every move. He held his right thumb over the control chip activator, believing it was only a matter of time until he would kill the man. Organa knew that when the time came, he would have only a brief second to activate the device.

While more tanks rolled out onto the square, evading the smoking tank shells from the first wave, Anakin leaped on top of the first one. Padmé followed behind him, jumping to the lower hatch. Together, they popped the hatches and tossed in grenades while Cody's stormtroopers took out another squad of loyalists.

* * *

An hour later, the Rebels regrouped inside the palace foyer. The Imperial Palace loomed thousands of stories above Coruscant City. Palpatine had taken over the Jedi Temple after Order 66 because the temple sat upon an ancient Sith Temple.

Now, the décor boasted elements of black and blood red. Instead of the airy chambers and corridors, each was closed off from the sun and doused in shadows.

Imperial Guards and loyalist troopers had barricaded themselves beyond the front entrance, trapping the Rebels at the front of the building. Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka continued their battle out in the courtyard, while Bail, Padmé, and Anakin planned an offensive to breach the barricade.

Anakin looked around the bend, holding his saber up to deflect the expected blaster bolts. He spoke into his wrist communicator, "Cody, think you can get around to the maintenance platform on the south?" He sat back against the wall as laser blasts bounced off the concrete across from the party.

"Yes, my lord, but it's been sealed for years. We're gonna have to blow the wall."

Anakin took his helmet off and wiped his brow. "Take your squad. When we hear your blast, we'll attack."

"Yes, sir," Cody responded before cutting out.

Bail asked, "Where do you think Palpatine is?"

"He's waiting for us in his Throne Room. This is just a delaying tactic." Anakin lifted his helmet back into position. "We'll just take each zone one at a—"

The entire complex shook, shooting plascrete splinters and boulders on top of the corridor. Anakin huddled over Padmé, protecting her from the falling panels and using the Force to push the heavy pieces away from them.

Bail huddled under the security desk as the building continued to shake for over a minute. "Was that Cody?"

"No. Something out—" Anakin grabbed his chest and inhaled with a sharp gasp of pain. "Star destroyers. I feel them dying. Ah!"

Padmé wormed her way out from under Anakin as more plascrete fell. She ran outside with Anakin and Bail on her heels. The fighting in the courtyard had come to an abrupt halt as all watched two star destroyers crash point-down into the planet only a few kilometers away. Padmé screamed as Anakin doubled over under the deaths of his men and those of the people on the planet.

Bail grabbed Padmé, holding her back from running into the disaster.

"Let me go. My children are on that shi—"

"It's too late for them, Padmé," Bail said with tears in his eyes. "Our children are gone. You'll only risk yourself and our mission if you head there."

"I don't care. I have to find them." Padmé pulled away from Bail and sprinted across the square.

Anakin looked up from his grief and raised his hand toward his wife, paralyzing her. "Padmé, stop! They're alive. I can feel them. They're alive. Both of them."

"Then let me go."

Anakin pulled her into his grasp from across the square, gripping her shoulders. "No, they're not on those ships. They're on another one, but I'm not sure where."

"How can you just stand here—" Padmé dissolved into sobs as Anakin pulled her against his chest, stroking her hair.

"Our mission comes first, Padmé." Anakin pulled her away from his chest and looked her in the eyes. "As long as Palpatine lives, they will be in more danger than you can possibly imagine."

Bail pulled his eyes from the growing fireball created by the star destroyers. Fire suppression ships zoomed around the area in an attempt to prevent the flames from spreading around the planet. "Padmé, Anakin's right. Let's go rid this galaxy of the plague called Palpatine—for our children."

Padmé glanced at both her husband and Bail, seeing determination in both their eyes. She nodded. "For our children."


	42. Chapter 41 - What Did You Get Us Into?

**CHAPTER 41—WHAT DID YOU GET US INTO, BANE?**

 ******TRIGGER WARNING******

As Cad Bane's saucer-like ship crossed through the atmospheric plane of Coruscant, Leia's eyes widened in fear. A lone Weequay guard aimed a blaster at them while steadying himself with a pole that ran along the aisle.

Locked into jumpseats in the main cabin, Luke and Leia could not escape, even if they wanted to. Between the gun and the turbulence, as well as the sharp movements the ship made to avoid the incoming turbo lasers, Leia was sure they were going to die.

Luke, however, used his sister's fear to distract their guard. His eyes roamed the tight cabin before settling on their guard.

The man's wrinkled face revealed boredom. Through the Force, Luke felt the man was upset that Cad had assigned him to watch a bunch of kids. The boy repressed a smile at that thought.

When Leia whimpered, Luke watched their captor.

"What's your problem?" the man asked, whipping his blaster muzzle to her temple.

Leia silenced her cries as tears spilled down her cheeks.

Luke said, "Leave her alone. She's scared. She's only a little girl."

The Weequay stepped closer to Leia, leaning over her as he pressed the muzzle closer to her head. "Does this scare you? I like little girls," he hissed in her ear. He stroked her face as she froze in terror. "This is the least of your worries. You're going to beg for me to shoot you before I'm done with you."

He moved his hand down her arm. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you in for Jabba. He doesn't mind his dancing girls having a bit of experience."

As the Weequay's hand moved to Leia's chest, he said, "Not every man can say he's—"

The man fell back to the deck as the ship landed hard. When he looked up, Luke held his blaster, pointing it at the man.

Luke glared at the man, his anger swelling within him. "Now, you will unlock us and get out of our way." The Jedi Padawan snarled at the man.

"Little boy, put the blaster down. You don't have enough guts to shoot me." The Weequay leered at Leia with lust. "If you're nice, I'll let you watch. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

The man reached forward to touch Leia's left leg. She kicked in futility, the man just out of her reach. He clutched onto her leg, causing her to scream.

"Leave her alone," Luke said through clenched teeth as he pulled the trigger, hitting the man in the chest. The Weequay fell back to the deck with a thud.

"Luke!" Leia cried in relief.

While his sister sobbed, Luke dealt with the inner turmoil. _I've just killed a man_. _I killed a man_. He looked at the blaster in his hand and dropped it as whatever was in his stomach churned and threatened to come up. _And it felt so good—_

The sliding of the cockpit hatch interrupted Luke's thoughts.

Cad Bane stepped out and pointed at the Weequay with one of his LL-40 blaster pistols. "What happened to Yal?" The blue-skinned Duros with broad-rimmed hat kicked his guard to see if he was alive.

"Blaster malfunction." Luke glared at the ringleader. He fed on his anger, letting it build, letting it empower him. _I'll kill every one of you to protect Leia._

Bane grabbed Luke by the collar and lifted him as far as his seat restraints would allow. "The way I see it, one of youse is responsible.

He turned to his co-pilot, Embo. "Get the girl. If she tries anything, shoot her. She's not the one our customer wants, anyway."

Bane turned his head back to Luke with abruptness. He lowered his face a few inches before the boy. "And if you try anything, she dies, and then I will break every one of your bones. I'd keep your mouth shut, if I were you, kid. As long as you're breathing, our customer doesn't care what condition you're in when we deliver you."

Bane passed a keycard through the lock on the restraints, popping the straps open. He picked up Luke by the back of his tunic and dragged him down the ship's landing ramp. The Kyuzo bounty hunter named Embo followed with the princess tucked under his arms, her body squirming and her legs flailing.

* * *

At the end of the ramp, with his steel, round hat bobbing as he walked, Embo asked, "How far until the drop point?"

"There," Cad said with a nod of his head.

"The Imperial Palace?" Embo asked. "What did you get us into, Bane?"

"A very pricey reward. And, if all goes well, Jabba will pay us well for the girl, too." Bane ran his free hand over his brim. "Not bad for a quick bit of work."

"Yeah, but when my father finds you, you won't live long enough to spend it." Luke growled.

Bane pulled the boy up with a sharp tug. "Shut it, kid. Your father won't even know we were involved."

"You're wrong. He knows where I am right now."

Embo darted his eyes around the commercial landing pad on which they had landed. With the palace pads burning, Bane had decided to protect his ship for a getaway. This far from the palace, the city seemed at peace. In the distance beyond the palace, the star destroyers burned in gigantic fireballs, exuding smoke kilometers into the atmosphere. "That's impossible. No one even knows we were on—"

A blaster shot sent Bane's black hat flying across the tarmac. Embo and Bane pulled their captives behind the nearest shipping crates as more shots flew over their heads.

"Let the kids go," a voice shouted from across the landing pad.

"Who's going to make me?" Bane lifted his blue head above the crate and aimed his blaster in the direction of the voice. All he saw was more crates and a few more ships.

From another direction, a laser bolt burst across the intervening space, blowing their cover to pieces in one shot.

"Hey, what you got there? A laser cannon?"

"Come out with your hands up. Let the kids go. And we might let you get away," the baritone voice said.

"Over my dead corpse," Bane said as he fired in the direction of the last shot.

"Don't tempt me," his unseen opponent said.

Another laser blast fired from the second opponent, hitting Embo in the chest. The bounty hunter, still clutching Leia in his arm, flew backward a few meters, landing hard on the deck.

The princess screamed.

The first opponent scuffled onto the tarmac . "Bane, put the blaster down and then let the boy go, or you're next. My partner is a dead shot, and no one survives a blast from a bowcaster."

Leia crawled away from the dead Kyuzo and hid behind the loading ramp of an old freighter a few meters away.

The first opponent advanced on Bane as the bounty hunter aimed his blaster at Luke's head. "Stop, or the kid gets it."

"Nah, he's too valuable to you. No reward if he ain't alive. Ain't that right, Bane?"

"Well, I'm not letting you take it." Bane swiveled his blaster with speed and shot at the man.

The dark-haired human ducked, avoiding the blast. He came up firing at Bane, hitting the man's blaster.

As the weapon heated in his hand, Bane dropped it, shaking his hand in pain. "Take the kid." He pushed Luke forward. "I just want my reward. A 50/50 split sounds fair to me."

"Reward? I'll give you a reward. Ever had your arms pulled out of your sockets? Wookiees are known to do that. Release the kid, or you'll be looking for cybernetics on your next hunt. Right, Chewie?"

An imposing brown-and-black-haired Wookiee stepped out from behind a shipping crate. He roared as he stepped forward, focusing his aim on the Duros's head.

"Eh, he says he'd rather shoot you. Keep you from talking. Now, let the boy go, or this is going to get messy." The man placed his left hand on his hip, resting on the red striping on his blue Corellian uniform pants.

Bane's eyes moved from the Wookiee to the man and back again. Raising his hands, he dropped his blaster to the deck with a clatter. "Get going, kid."

Luke ran straight for the Wookiee, hiding behind the creature's gigantic legs.

"Who should I tell Jabba has his bounty?"

"Han Solo, Captain of the _Millennium Falcon_ , but I don't deal in slaves. Tell Jabba this is one bargain he'll never make."

"Hmm. I'd hate to be you when Jabba hears that. Next time we meet, Solo, you'll be the one with the death mark, I guarantee it." Bane slinked away backward. "And I expect to take my own bounty. You owe me a hat—and a blaster."

After Bane had reached his ship, Chewbacca moved forward with Luke clutching his leg behind him. The Wookiee moaned something to his friend.

"You said it, Chewie. Let's get these kids out of here and get that money back to Gardulla the Hutt before she hears from Jabba about our little rescue here." Han held his blaster, looking for any other attacks, as he approached the ramp of his ship.

Chewie asked him a question in Shriywook.

"I don't know. Hey, kid, where's the girl?"

Luke looked out from behind the Wookiee's leg. "She's hiding."

The twenty-year-old man knelt down and grabbed Luke by a shoulder. "Look, I need to get you two off this planet. Where d'you live?"

Luke bit his lip. "Alderaan. She's a princess."

"Alderaan. I'm not taking you to Alderaan. It's too far out of my way. I'm in for it as it is, thanks to my partner here . . . always having to save the day."

Chewie argued with Han.

The smuggler turned his head and looked out across the empty tarmac into the city. "Well, first, we've gotta find this princess of yours, and then we'll see what we can do. Maybe a little side trip won't take that long. This is the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, after all."

Luke stared at the man with wide eyes. "Really? Wow!"

"Yeah, I'll let you check out the cockpit, but first we've got to find this princess."

Luke winked. "I know where she is. Follow me." He ran across the tarmac.

Han said to Chewie as they followed the kid, "I don't know why I let you talk me into these things. For a ferocious Wookiee, you sure don't act like it sometimes."

The Wookiee tilted his head and moaned something in response.


	43. Chapter 42 - Oh, Brother

**CHAPTER 42—OH, BROTHER**

"Follow me." Luke hurried toward the beat-up freighter.

Han and Chewie loped after the small boy. "Chewie, go warm up the engines. If we're heading to Alderaan, let's not waste any time."

Luke screeched to a stop on the tarmac. "No. Don't fire up the engines."

"Huh?"

"You'll kill her if you do that."

Han cocked his head trying to figure out what the kid was saying. "Look, kid—"

"Please, mister." Luke dragged the smuggler by the hand. "She's in there." He pointed to the starboard landing claw well.

"Call me 'Han.' I ain't no mister."

Chehwbacca approached the claw. When he reached his hands inside the well, Leia screamed long and loud in a high-pitched shriek.

The Wookiee roared and hurried from the noise with his hands on his heads, as the high-pitched frequency pierced his sensitive ears.

With his hands on his ears, Han asked Luke, "Can you get her to shut up?"

"Leia!" Luke yelled over her screams. "Leia, it's Luke. Leia!"

The screaming continued for many minutes.

" _Leia!_ " Luke yelled again, but this time he sent the word through the Force. He tried it again. _"Leia!"_

The scream changed to a whimper. Through her sobs, Leia said, "I want my mommy."

Han took a step toward the landing claw. "Look, little girl, we're gonna take you to her. As soon as we get you out of there, we're heading to Alderaan."

Leia's cries continued. "No, I want my mommy. I want Padmé."

Luke's eyes widened at that name.

"Fine. Let me help you down, and I'll take you to Padmé. Whoever you want."

"Really?"

"Promise." Han took another step closer.

"But I can't get down. It's too far to jump."

"My partner will bring you down. Just let him grab you."

Chewie moaned something.

Leia gasped in fear. "No. Not the Wookiee. You."

Han tilted his head at Chewie before he stepped to the landing claw well. "All right, come on out of there." Soon, a white blur appeared half-way back. "That's it. Easy does it. Don't hit your head on that metal there."

When Leia reached the edge of her hiding spot, Luke breathed a sigh of relief. Her white dress was filthy and torn. Grease smudged her face and her arms. The hair that had escaped her braids matted together with the grease from the well.

The freighter captain extended his arms to the girl. "Jump down, now. I'll catch you."

"I'm afraid."

"Look, Princess, it's just a short hop." Han turned on the charm with his lopsided grin. "Trust me."

Leia looked at the ground and then at the tall man with dark hair. She closed her eyes and jumped, flying into the man's arms. When Han caught her, Leia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Not expecting the affection from a little girl, Han smiled in amusement and patted her back.

Luke said as he slapped his cheek, "Oh, brother. Not again."

Leia stuck her tongue out at Luke as Han set her on the tarmac.

"So, where's this Padmé?" Han asked.

Leia pointed toward the foreboding Imperial Palace. "There."

Chewie roared at Han.

"Look, I never agreed to take you to the Imperial Palace. You think I'm crazy?"

Chewie moaned.

The princess whimpered. "You promised." Her whimpers transformed to shrieks.

Luke said with a knowing look, "You'll get a reward."

Chewie moaned a question.

"The reward would be . . ." Luke said.

"What?" Han asked, turning his head toward Luke with a sharp jerk.

"Well, more wealth than you can imagine."

"I don't know. I can imagine quite a bit."

Leia said with her royal authority, "You'll get it."

Han knelt down next to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "All right, but as soon as we find this Padmé, we're out of here. The Empire's got enough reasons—"

Leia interrupted him with another hug and another kiss on the cheek. "I knew I could count on you."

"Just stick close to Chewie and me, kids. We'll get you there," Han said as he pulled out his DL-44 blaster.

Chewie asked Han a question as he rotated his bowcaster into firing position.

"I don't know. I'm making it up as I go along."

Luke rolled his eyes and whispered to Leia, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Leia whispered back with a wistful expression on her face. "I don't. Han's amazing. I'm going to marry him one day."

"Don't be silly. He's twice our age," Luke said trying not to laugh.

"Luke Skywalker, I'm not talking to you anymore." Leia hurried her steps, worming her way between Han and Chewie, leaving Luke to follow in the wake of the party.


	44. Chapter 43 - Breaking In

**CHAPTER 43—BREAKING IN**

With his lightsaber extended to catch any surprise blaster bolts, Anakin hurried around a corner in the temple. He pulled back in shock. The corridor was empty. This part of the Imperial Palace was silent.

He motioned for Bail and Padmé to follow him.

Anakin ranged around him with the Force, locating Master Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka not far off from them. Their group had breached the palace, too, and they were rushing to reach their attack point.

Anakin's group rushed down the corridor, wary of an ambush.

When they reached the T intersection, Bail said, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Padmé looked at Anakin. "Feels like a trap."

Anakin grinned at his petite wife. "Let's go spring it."

She hefted her blaster pistol and nodded for him to take point.

* * *

"You heard me," Obi-Wan said into his communicator. "Fire your cannons until they overheat. Then ram the blastdoor while it's still hot, Cody."

The Jedi General pulled back into an alcove, turning his back to protect his eyes from the flying debris.

Ahsoka stood across the street, squeezed into a doorway with a few clone troopers. "We may gain entrance to the temple this way, but we'll never get to Sidious without breaking the codes on the turbo lifts, Rex."

The captain motioned a few squads forward to follow the tanks. The troopers sharing the alcove with them pushed their way out. Stormtroopers, Mandalorians, and clones littered the street.

Rex said into his comlink, "Red battalion, check the fallen. Finish off the enemy and start triage on our survivors. I don't want the walking wounded following us in."

"Rex, didn't you hear me?"

He turned to Ahsoka. "One problem at a time. It's retinal scans only to get to Sidious's throne room. It's in the central spire, in the old Hall of Knighthood. We won't get past by breaking a code anyway."

"Then this plan is not going to work." Ahsoka rubbed her lekku in deep thought. "Element of surprise. Obi-Wan was definite about that. What else has changed in the temple?"

"Not sure. How about the maintenance tunnels?"

"Climbing maintenance ladders for 120 meters? You've got to be kidding me."

Rex said into his communicator. "Clone troopers on point. Maintain a five-meter gap between you and the tanks. Vesh formation. Mandalorians staggered behind."

Ahsoka pulled on Rex's shoulder pad.

"Relax. We should be able to make it the first half via turbo lift. Cody can get us that far with his credentials."

"So sixty meters and then spring the surprise."

Rex smiled at the woman and chuckled. "Race you to the top."

"Think you can keep up with me, old man?" Ahsoka raised her eyebrows in challenge. While Rex opened his mouth in outrage, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushing her lips to his.

"For luck?"

Ahsoka ran her hand down his neck. "No, a promise. Now, let's blow this thing and go home."

"As you wish." Rex donned his helmet with the Togrutan blue ears painted on the forehead.

Rex raced into the midst of the legions with Ahsoka loping beside him. They reached the rear entrance of the Imperial Palace just as the first tank blasted its way in.

* * *

General Kenobi directed the battalion behind him into position, clearing and taking possession of one chamber at a time. In only a quarter hour, the command group reached the central turbo lifts.

"How far can you get us, Cody?"

The clone trooper with yellow visor and lighter yellow piping on his helmet said, "Anywhere on the lower levels, but not the central spire."

Rex huffed as he padded to the group. "How about the maintenance shaft?"

"Sixty meters on a metal ladder," Cody said. "We won't be worth anything when we get there."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Sixty meters?"

Ahsoka grinned. "What? You can't levitate that far, Obi-Wan?"

"Not something I've ever had to try."

"Do or do not. There is no try."

Obi-Wan turned to see Master Yoda hobbling down the main corridor.

Ahsoka laughed.

Yoda said, "Hmm, sixty meters not far. Levitation practice will be good for us all. Come, though. Central lifts rigged with traps. Come, come." The ancient Jedi Master shuffled to the east wing.

As they passed by the old meditation chapel, Yoda said, "A place of evil this is. Feel the darkness, Ahsoka? Obi-Wan?"

Both nodded.

"Unfit for Jedi use this temple is. A shrine of darkness it is. We must be cautious."

* * *

An odd group skirted around the lower levels of Coruscant—a gigantic Wookiee, a spacer with Corellian Academy uniform trousers and a black vest, a small boy, and a small girl. The Wookiee took point, leading them from alcove to alcove, climbing over corpses along their path.

Luke clutched Leia's hand. He tried to put on a brave front for her with the dead all around them. He could handle the men in armor. They were soldiers. But his stomach churned with each face he saw.

He kept thinking the next corpse they would find would be their father or their mother—or even Leia's dad. He understood now that war was not glamorous, not when innocents were killed. Not when people you loved were killed.

He glanced at Leia. She turned her face away from the body they were stepping over, keeping her eyes glued to the Wookiee's furry back. Luke guided the small princess around the next group of bodies.

The Wookiee held up his hand, motioning them to stop. Han pulled them back into the alcove.

"What's wrong?" Han asked.

Chewie rumbled.

"Are they fighting?"

Chewie's extra-sensitive hearing could pick out blaster fire half a kilometer away. The Wookiee shook his head.

"Guards then."

Chewie nodded with a slight growl.

"Do you think we can get around them?"

Chewie shrugged his shoulders and whined.

"Come on. Back a few streets and then over."

"What's going on?" Leia asked.

"There's a patrol guarding the street ahead. We're going to have to take a detour."

Leia rolled her eyes at Luke.

"Do you really think they'd have one street guarded and not the next one?" Leia asked. "According to _Windu's Military Manual_ , you secure the immediate area around the target and then expand in a concentric circle, doubling your guards as the perimeter magnifies."

"Really?" Han asked. "I don't know who this Windu is, but it doesn't hurt to check. Come on, Chewie."

Chewie gamboled back down the street and led them across a square of stunted trees and shrubs before they reached the next artery.

Han pulled them all back into another alcove. "Okay, you were right."

"I'm always right. These are clone troopers. They have followed Windu's rules of engagement for fifteen years now." Leia planted her hands on her hips. "Now, if you're willing to listen to me . . ."

Han sighed and rolled his eyes. "All right. What did this Windbag say was the best way to counter this defense?"

Leia looked at Luke with a cheeky grin. "Walk right through."

"I don't know why I even asked. Chewie, grab the kids. We're heading back to the _Falcon_."

"No, wait." Luke pulled on Han's arm. "These are clone troopers. Our side. Put on one of their uniforms and tell them you're taking Leia and me to our parents."

"No way I'm getting past them with a Wookiee. And where I go, he goes."

Luke pointed to Chewbacca. "Just tell him you're General Tarfful."

Chewbacca moaned at that name and straightened his posture.

"That will get you through any checkpoints," Luke said.

"Pretty please." Leia looked up at the man. She batted her eyelashes at him and beamed her magnificent smile.

Chewbacca rumbled.

"Oh, so you think this is a good idea. They're going to shoot us both if they find out you're not Tarfful."

Chewbacca moaned.

"Yeah, I guess most humans think all Wookiees look the same." Han shrugged. "I don't know why I listen to you anymore." He turned to the twins. "Stay here with Chewie while I go get some armor."

"Make it blue. That's the 501st, my father's legion."

"The 501? Vader's?"

Luke nodded.

"Whatever you say. I'm beginning to wish I'd never met you kids."

Han turned when Leia said, "You don't really mean that, do you, Han?"

He shook his head and crouched near the first armor with blue markings painted on it.


	45. Chapter 44 - On the Inside

**CHAPTER 44 - ON THE INSIDE**

"I got it," Ahsoka yelled as an access panel clattered to the marble floor.

"Great," Obi-Wan said. "But keep it down, will you."

"Just get in there, Obi-Wan," Anakin said as he looked down the passageway. "Then you, Padmé and Master Yoda. And Bail. I'll cover our rear.

Booted footsteps in double-time tapped along the corridor. Anakin pulled the hatch cover to him with the Force and leaned it against the crawlspace portal.

"We have you now, Rebel Scum. Hands up."

A squad of stormtroopers appeared around the corner. Their guns focused on Vader, the only one left standing in the corridor.

"His Excellency has ordered your capture, my lord."

Anakin stared at the muzzles of the blasters as he raised his hand in front of his face. "You are mistaken."

The stormtrooper sergeant replied, "I must be mistaken, Lord Vader."

"The Rebels headed down quadrant four. If you hurry, you may catch them."

The sergeant spoke into his communicator. "Rebels are splitting up now, sir. We believe they may be in quadrants four and five now, sir."

"Very well. You take quadrant four. I'll send Besh Legion to quadrant five." The communicator crackled with static.

Vader looked on as the squad jogged down the corridor. After they had cleared the corner, he quietly set the hatch to the side and entered the access tunnel. Once inside, he pulled the cover over the entry again.

He tilted his neck and peered through the dimly lit tunnel. His helmet enhanced his vision and displayed information on the area. A ladder extended beyond even his sensors, at least sixty meters above. His auditory sensors picked up the movement of the rest of this team at least twenty meters away.

Anakin considered leaving his helmet and cape here at the base, but he decided not to leave any trace of who had used this tunnel. Grabbing the sixth rung, he hauled himself up the ladder.

After a few minutes of climbing, he heard a scream far above. It was Ahsoka. Then one from Padmé.

"Anakin, this way's no good. Head down while you can still get out." Anakin's voice was filled with strain.

The Chosen One pulled himself up, moving faster. "I'm not leaving you. What's going on up there?"

Padmé screamed.

"Hold on, Padmé! I'm coming," Anakin hollered.

"Uggh!" Obi-Wan grunted. "Mynocks." He batted them with his hands, sending one to the ground. "Ahh, I hate these things."

Master Yoda said, "No. No. Alone leave me. Go away!" A few whacks from his gimer stick sent one of the flying beasts down the shaft, glancing off Anakin on the way down.

Anakin continued to climb, gaining distance with each scream and thud he heard above him.

A long howl of pain followed by a body thudding as it fell down the shaft.

Obi-Wan yelled, "Padmé!"

"Argh!" she uttered as she heaved. "Than— uhh, I'm slippiiiiiiing!"

More thuds sounded as she hit Master Yoda and Bail on the way down.

"Catch her!" Obi-Wan yelled.

Bail said, "Ahh, I've got— I had her. Padmé!"

Anakin closed his eyes and reached out his left hand as he clutched the ladder with his right. "Padmé, just relax. You won't get past me. Trust me."

The scream continued until she hit his arm. The new cybernetics held firm, clutching her to his side.

"Oh, Ani!" Her chest heaved as her heart beat faster.

"I've got you. Grab the railing."

She clutched at the railing and started up the ladder again, a few steps above him.

"Anakin, we have a problem," Obi-Wan said from above.

"What now?"

Ahsoka chimed in, "I know why the Mynocks were startled. We've got laser webs up here."

"Don't touch them. They'll activate more traps." Anakin pulled himself alongside Padmé. "Bail, we're almost to you. Let Padmé and me pass."

The senator from Alderaan rotated on the right rail of the ladder to give the couple room to climb above him. "Have enough room?"

"Yes. Padmé, stay close to Bail. I'm going to go see if I can deactivate those rays."

Anakin's cape fluttered behind, swiping Bail and Padmé as he overtook them. "Master Yoda, I'm right below you."

Obi-Wan said, "Then you're almost here. Let me climb down so you can see. Ahsoka, move over. He's coming up your side."

Anakin climbed the last few rungs until his helmet almost grazed the first laser beam. He adjusted a control on his helmet, increasing the exposure on the lenses. The tunnel became almost of bright as day to his vision. He found an access port to the right and yanked the small cover off it. After punching in a code, the lasers above them disappeared.

"Thank you." Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Try not to trigger any more of these things."

"Well, if I knew what I was looking for—" Ahsoka began.

"Just keep your hands and feet on the ladder and your body as tight in as possible. Let me know if something else happens."

Anakin shifted his large frame to allow the others to pass him.

The group continued upward in silence. Almost a half hour had passed when Ahsoka called down, "Anakin, we've run out of ladder."

"Is there an access hatch anywhere near you? One big enough to crawl through?"

Ahsoka shined her glow lamp around the tunnel. "Uh-uh."

"Do you see any ledges above you?"

"No. No wait. I think I see one. It's very narrow."

"Well, see if you can jump to it."

The Togruta shoved the light between her teeth and leaped to the ledge. Her natural gymnastic abilities propelled her through the tight space of the tunnel. "There. It was a rough jump though. I don't know if anyone except Master Yoda will make—ahhhh!"

Grating and then a thud sounded above.

"What was that?"

"The ledges move. Another popped above me while that one slid back."

Obi-Wan said, "Can you see the ones above you?"

"Yes."

"Are they moving? Watch for pattern."

"Got it." Ahsoka jumped again, slamming into another ledge. Then she jumped again. "They're moving faster now. When you start, don't stop."

Obi-Wan pulled himself up and jumped to a low ledge only half a meter above the last rung. "Keep going."

"Where does this take us, Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.

"A service corridor. When you reach the top, there should be a hatch. Open it before you get there so you can jump through."

The group continued up the ladder and then jumped from ledge to ledge for another ten meters.

Two meters below the top, Ahsoka waved her hand at the hatch and sent it flying into the corridor. She jumped to the next ledge just as the last ledge disappeared under her feet. She bounced off the final ledge and somersaulted through the hatch. She rolled to her feet, bringing her white sabers up in a defensive pose as she stood.

A squad of stormtroopers surrounded her.


	46. Chapter 45 - This Is My Fight

**CHAPTER 45—THIS IS MY FIGHT**

Ahsoka charged at the stormtroopers to her left. She pulled her blades wide, catching four laser blasts at once and reflecting them back to her attackers. She somersaulted backward in an arabesque to face the troopers behind her. She brought her white sabers into an X in front of her. The blasts ricocheted to the walls. The smell of ozone stifled the corridor.

She looked back to the portal. Obi-Wan was right behind her when she jumped through earlier, but now, he wasn't there.

As the soldiers ahead of her pressed in, the ones behind her fired. She twirled in a full circle and held her sabers parallel to the reflective floor. Bolts flew in every direction.

When she stopped her spin, the Togruta leaped onto the wall and then sprung past the troopers she had first engaged. Slicing diagonally, two rows of soldiers fell to her blades before the rest turned about-face and attacked.

She used a round house kick on the far right trooper's head. Then she cartwheeled over the two to the trooper's right. Pulling both of her sabers from behind her, she vivisected the pair with a coordinated swipe from ankle to head.

She side-armed the farthest left trooper and then pushed him to the ceiling with the Force. The armored man crumpled to the floor. A dozen more troopers remained.

She jumped up, swinging her sabers wildly, crashing down on the next row of four. Their helmets rolled from their corpses as Ahsoka swiveled once more, blocking the laser blasts from the middle row.

Pivoting from one leg to the other, she altered her round-house kick from right to left to right to left. Each soldier fell to her feet. She held out her hands and pushed them down the corridor until they hit their heads on the far wall.

Four left. Ten meters away.

Dodging their erratic blasts, the Togruta twisted and turned and leaped, attacking with handsprings. Two fled. She pulled her blades through both torsos, watching the top halves tumble to the floor.

As the last two pounded away, she threw her blades. The white sabers tumbled end-over-end, scoring long marks through the backs of their armor. Ahsoka Force-pulled her blades into her hands and swiped diagonally through their backs as the final two screamed. "This is how cowards die."

She holstered her blades while the two gurgled their last breaths.

"What kept you?" she asked.

"You seemed to have things under control," Obi-Wan said with a smirk.

Padmé stood beside him, her gun drawn. She looked down each side of the corridor while Master Yoda jumped out of the portal. Bail climbed out after Yoda

Anakin burst through the tunnel in a somersault and yelled, "Down!"

Blaster fire erupted from both directions. Instead of a two dozen troopers, they now faced two cohorts cutting them off from both directions.

Ahsoka flipped in an arabesque to face the ones approaching from the left. She flicked her blades wide and then crossed them in front of her. She deflected the bolts as they pushed her backward.

Obi-Wan said, "Back-to-back."

"Padmé stay behind me. Bail, behind Obi-Wan," Anakin ordered.

The Jedi blades slashed through the air, ricocheting the laser blasts. Once Ahsoka had joined the group, Master Yoda stepped forward. The stormtroopers stood a lightsaber's length away, but many had fallen from ricochets alone.

The little green Jedi Master said, "When outnumbered . . ."

Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan said in unison as they all took a step toward the stormtroopers, "Attack!"

The Jedi twirled, sending the sabers in elliptical orbits, gaining momentum to cut swathes through four stormtroopers at a time.

Master Yoda lifted himself above the soldiers. He spun in _Ataru_ form and sliced through the second row as Obi-Wan took out the first.

Ahsoka somersaulted under Anakin's blade and came up in his second row. Once she had taken out that row, she flipped to the wall and bounced off the four-meter-high ceiling.

Anakin's strong swipes took out the first row. Padmé's accurate blaster shots took down two in the third row.

Bail, not to be outdone, stayed in Obi-Wan's wake for protection. The senator fired once, then twice. Finally, a soldier fell down.

The mêlée continued. White dual blades, a green blade, and two blue blades swirled in mesmerizing patterns. They connected with their targets, never missing.

Half the legion demolished. The other half, more vicious than before.

Ahsoka and Yoda returned to the group, ready to defend.

With a battle cry, the remaining forces charged the Jedi. The first wave fired on the group as they rushed across the corridor.

The Jedi held up their hands and pushed back their foes. They ducked and twisted to avoid the incoming fire. Padmé and Bail continued to fire, taking out the front line in four quick shots each.

Anakin and Yoda tossed the next wave back, sending them into the oncoming rows of troops. Three rows fell, but they quickly returned to their feet and pressed forward. The Jedi advanced, reclaiming their lost ground.

Ahsoka sprung forward. With a rapid swipe, two soldiers' heads rolled to the side. Anakin thrust the other two to the wall and choked them with the Force. Pressing on, he swiped through the next wave of soldiers.

Yoda and Obi-Wan moved in unison. Swipe up to the right, then down to the left. Their movements were so quick that Bail could not even register when they changed from one direction to the other. It was all he could do to fire and not ricochet off one of their blades.

As Anakin and Ahsoka advanced on their cohort, blaster fire increased. The front row lay on the ground, with the second row kneeling. The third row squatted, and the fourth row stirred. Blaster fire from sixteen guns at once was too much even for this pair.

"Ahh!" Padmé screamed from behind Anakin. She clutched her right shoulder and fell to the floor with a thud.

Anakin glanced at her and let out a pitiful wail. "Nooooooooooooo!" He swiped his left arm to the right. All sixteen blasters scattered across the floor. He advanced on the front wave. He pushed out at the rear waves, sending them tumbling.

When he reached the first wave, he pushed them down to the floor. No longer paralyzed with fear but paralyzed with the Force, the armor crackled under them as the intense pressure collapsed their rib cages and punctured their lungs and hearts.

The Chosen One moved forward, more a machine than a man now. He stepped on the armor, compressing the men further. The remaining soldiers's shots were no match for him. Anakin aimed each blast back into another soldier, no longer content with mere ricochets.

When Anakin reached the captain of the cohort, he reached out with the Force and held the man above him. His Force-grip squeezed the man's trachea, but it did not collapse it.

"Please. Have mercy, Lord Vader. Please." The man shook as his face paled.

Anakin looked at Padmé who rested against the corridor a few meters behind him. Bail held a cloth to her wound, but her head lolled. He stared the man in the eyes and tightened his grip. "You don't deserve it."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan yelled. "Anakin, let him go."

Ahsoka cried, "Anakin, don't. Don't do this."

The man continued to gurgle.

Master Yoda merely stood, his hands crossed in front of his chest. "Trust you, I do, Anakin. You must do what you feel is right. Find the balance."

Anakin turned his face to the man. His eyes were bulging now. The veins on his neck protruded. The smell that now permeated the corridor confirmed that the man's bowels had emptied in the armor.

The black helmet tilted. Anakin extinguished his saber and attached it to his belt. With precision, he lifted his helmet from his head and tossed down the corridor behind the man. "I am Anakin Skywalker, The Chosen One." He relaxed his grip on the man's throat and lowered him to the tile. "You are free."

Anakin returned his attention to the still body of his wife on the floor.

A blaster shot aimed for his back, but Ahsoka jumped in between the two. She crossed her dual blades, ricocheting the bolt directly at the officer's chest.


	47. Chapter 46 - What a Surprise Indeed

**CHAPTER 46—WHAT A SURPRISE INDEED**

The blastdoor opened to reveal an expanse of darkness. Black walls illuminated by dark blue lights cast the cavernous Imperial Throne Room into shadows. The Coruscant twilight shone purple through the large sunlike window behind the throne. A shriveled man in a dark robe whose eyes glowed yellow hunched over the obsidian throne.

Vader led the contingent across the long, glossy-black floor. Yoda and Ahsoka stood to his right. Obi-Wan to his left. They held their sabers at the ready.

Anakin spoke through his vocalizer, "Prepare to meet your destiny."

"Oh, I'm afraid you are mistaken, my apprentice." The Emperor's voice trembled.

Vader's black-gloved hand tossed his helmet across the chamber. It clattered against a vacant command pod. "No, you are mistaken, Sidious. I am no longer your apprentice."

"So be it, Jedi."

He squeezed a claw, and four doors on each side of the hall sprung back. Eight masked figures cloaked in black stepped forward, red lightsabers humming from their identical circular hilts. As one, the guards leaped from the catwalks to surround the quartet.

"It was all too easy." Palpatine spat on the shiny floor. "Fools."

Following the Emperor's cue, the Inquisitors pushed forward, pushing the Jedi foursome together.

The Jedi stood with their backs together, sabers raised and blazing. As one, the Jedi stepped forward and slashed at their foes. Quick slashes pushed the Inquisitors back, opening the combat circle.

* * *

Padmé pushed herself to a seated position while Bail covered them both with his blaster. They heard the footsteps of stormtroopers tapping down the other end of the corridor. Padmé pulled her blaster and waited.

Bail looked at Padmé as blaster fire erupted from the same direction. She winced as she moved her shoulder. Her wound may have cauterized, but like all blaster wounds, the flesh burned and swelled. "This is it," he said.

Both Rebel leaders aimed their blasters at the approaching white armor retreating their way. First one, then two, then three hit the floor. The column of stormtroopers advanced toward their foes on the other side. The mass of white armor flowed first one direction then the other.

Bail stayed by Padmé's side, protecting his injured friend. Every once in a while, they would score a lucky shot. The smell of ozone filled the corridor, as the sounds of blaster fire muffled all other noise. At times, the bright light and smoke from the blaster shots obscured their view.

"Freeze!" a filtered voice commanded.

Bail and Padmé turned to their right, where a stormtrooper captain aimed his blaster at him.

"Drop your weapons."

The pair tossed their blasters, skating them across the floor to the new squad of white armor.

* * *

Obi-Wan clenched his teeth as he maintained his pressure on his lightsaber near his forehead. The burly Sixth Brother's lightsaber glittered in front of the Jedi's eyes, the spinning hilt still with the force of Obi-Wan's blade. His partner, the Second Brother lay on the floor, missing a leg. But Obi-Wan's focus did not waver.

Allowing the Force to guide him, he released his control and sliced toward the Inquisitor's hilt. The brother grabbed his hilt in one quick motion and extended his second blade. His figure-eight rotation combined with the momentum from the spinning blade pushed Obi-Wan back.

The Jedi Force-pushed the Sith against a command pod. The man's armor thudded against the steel tower. The maneuver gave Obi-Wan just enough time to retake his aggressive position.

He leaped and spun, swirling his own blade in dizzying patterns, blocking the attack of the Inquisitor.

Across the chamber, Yoda tumbled above a command pod. He pushed his feet off the control panel and swung at the First Brother. Another bounce backward, and he faced the Third Sister. Red and green lightsabers danced.

Yoda's blade held the First Brother's steady while he spun parallel to the floor and kicked the mask of the Third Sister. The mask clattered to the floor. Yoda threw his small body at the woman, knocking her to the ground. With a quick swipe, he cut her lightsaber in two.

As the First Brother pulled down his blade on top of Yoda's head, the little Jedi Master rotated leg over leg to meet the attack. He swung at the brother with a vertical swipe. The Inquisitor answered it with a two-handed, horizontal block. The impact held for a few seconds before the pair pushed themselves apart.

Yoda spared a glance to his other opponent. She advanced slowly, bringing herself parallel to her brother. With her arms outstretched, she pushed at the Jedi. Yoda wrinkled his brow in concentration. The air around them stirred, wafting their cloaks and belts. The strength of the wind increased, tugging at the lightsabers first, and then the Sith in front of him.

The gnarled Jedi Master jerked his right arm. The sister flew to the ceiling ten meters above. After crashing into the Plas-glas canopy and another twitch of Yoda's arm, she slammed to the floor. The sound of splintering bones and tearing flesh and organs revealed her fate. She did not even groan. Yoda turned his attention back to the First Brother.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka raised her double blades to either side, meeting the double attack of her opponents, the Fourth Brother and the Eighth Brother. As the Fourth Brother lunged forward and swung his blade forward with his left hand, she pivoted and met his attack. Her left blade rose to meet the Eight Brother's up-swipe.

She turned on a roundhouse kick, sending the Fourth Brother across the floor out of their combat circle. He crashed his head against the black steel wall and crumpled to the floor.

Ahsoka reached behind her and tossed the Eighth Brother over her shoulder to the floor in front of her. His heavy body thumped to the floor, but he sprung back up to face her. Spinning his double-blade, he advanced her.

The Togruta flipped back and then leaped forward in attack. She swiped her right blade, deflecting his blade. She ducked her head and spun in full circle to evade his parry. Bringing up her back-handed left blade to attack once more, she lunged forward and followed through with another over-hand attack at his knee.

On the defensive now, the Eighth Brother barely raised his blade to block each time. He retreated one step at a time. In one last effort, he leaped forward, throwing his blade at Ahsoka.

She pulled both of her white blades together into an X and sliced outward, destroying the blade at the hilt. The red sabers scattered across the chamber in opposite directions while the Togruta Force-pushed the man into the command pod behind him.

Ahoska sprung over the intervening space in one jump. Resting her dual blades in a cross against his throat, she pulled them in one clean motion. The slatted visor clanked as the helmet rolled a few meters across the floor.

Anakin swung at the middle of the Seventh Sister's dual blade and quickly to a high block before swiveling to meet the overhand attack of the Fifth Brother. His blue blade swung left and right and left and right again, meeting each attack.

His opponents paused for one brief second, nodding at each other. Anakin used the distraction to jump above them in a backward somersault to the catwalk above. The Inquisitors looked at each other and then at Anakin. His blue eyes scanned the arena.

Leaping into the fray once again, he grabbed the now-dead Eighth Brother's blade from twenty meters away where Ahsoka had just finished. He spun as he jumped in front of his attackers. He kicked the Fifth Brother in the face and slashed the red saber with a backhand across the man's helmet. Smoke, ozone, and a pitiful scream filled the air, but Anakin had no time for that.

The former Sith Lord brought both swords up to block the Seventh Sister's attack. He rotated his blue blade in a large overhand swing while bringing in the red blade to her neck with a quick slash. Her blade connected, holding his blade in stasis.

"Huh. One small step from the darkness has made you weak, Vader," the sister taunted. "I can't believe I ever called you 'Master.'" She kicked at him, but her leg froze in mid-air.

"No, I have become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Anakin dropped the red saber and lifted her up with the Force. She hung just out of reach of him, dangling her legs and arms in front of her.

"As you wish." With incredible speed, she threw her saber at his head.

Anakin deflected the blow with his blue saber, tossing her saber across the floor. "So, you have found yourself in a precarious situation." He clenched his fingers.

She raised her hands to her throat and gurgled. Her eyes grew wider as her efforts to breathe became impossible.

Anakin laughed a deep, hideous cackle as he watched her strangle. A voice startled him.

"Anakin, no! Not like this." Ahsoka stood at his left side now, holding onto his arm.

Yoda's voice emanated from across the chamber. "Clean kill or capture. Not this."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan hobbled to his friend.

"Do it! Why wait! This is what you want."

Palpatine's voice pulled him from his reverie. Anakin looked at the shriveled prune, stared him in his golden eyes. "No. Never." While keeping his eyes on Palpatine, he lowered the Seventh Sister to the floor.

With the Force, she grabbed her saber from the corner and lunged at Anakin with a clean swipe to his head. Without turning, he blocked her with his blue lightsaber and swung at her head. Master Yoda leaped to clear the rolling head.

Sidious's cackle resounded through the dark chamber. "What a shame, with all that effort . . . you will still bow to me."

"I'll never serve you again, Sidious."

The Sith Master's chuckle interrupted. "Oh, I think you will. Guards!"

The Jedi turned their heads to the left. From one of the blastdoors four stormtroopers dragged in the limp form of Padmé Amidala and a struggling Bail Organa.

"Oh, Senator Amidala, what a surprise indeed to find you back from the dead. No worries. I killed you once. I can kill you again."

Anakin sputtered as tears raced to his eyes.

"Yes, my friend, you were mistaken about a great many things. Either you bow, or she dies."

* * *

 **Chapter 47 will be posted 12/24/17. Merry Christmas!**


	48. Chapter 47 - Fools

**CHAPTER 47—FOOLS**

Bail Organa's hand hovered over the detonation button. A few meters closer, that was all he needed, all anyone needed. And both Sith Master and Sith Lord would be blown into oblivion.

* * *

Han pulled back against the wall holding his blaster vertical beside his face. Leia crowded his right thigh, with Luke and Chewie beside her. The smuggler raised his finger to his mouth to quiet the group.

The sounds of lightsabers on lightsabers crackled in the air. Grunts and moans followed each hit. Leia peeked her head around Han's leg. Luke stepped on his tiptoes and hung over Leia's shoulder. "That's my dad," he whispered loudly.

Chewbacca moaned as quietly as he could.

"Quiet." Han covered Luke's mouth.

The little boy shrugged off the hand and bounced on his feet.

Han looked to Chewie. "What do you think?"

Chewbacca growled a few answers as a Togruta and two Inquisitors passed their hiding spot.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Han bent down beside Leia. "Hey, I don't see your mom here. We're going to head on back around while we still c—"

"No, we can't leave. She's close." Leia's face scrunched while her eyes widened.

"How would you know. Look, little girl, we've got to get out of her before the Imperials figure—"

"Look!" Luke pointed to the throne.

"Mommy!" Leia cried, muffling her mouth were her hand.

"Wait a minute." Han turned his head back to the children. "That's Vader out there. No way I'm taking this any—"

Han couldn't hear the words from the decrepit Emperor, but he knew a death threat when he saw one. He grabbed Leia and pulled her to his chest. "Don't look. Don't look, Sweetheart."

Chewbacca grabbed Luke and pressed the boy to him. The small boy wriggled and squirmed his way free. He turned in time to see his father kneel before the Emperor.

"Let me go!" Luke yelled, shrugging off the Wookiee's arms.

* * *

The small boy ran into the chamber, straight to the dark figure. "No, Daddy, no. Don't do this!" He clutched to his father's torso.

Bail grimace as he removed his hand from the detonator.

Anakin turned to his son. "Luke, no—"

Palpatine fixed his gaze on Young Skywalker. "So, the mysterious apprentice." He looked at Padmé. "Your faces say it all. A son. You were wise to hide him, but now he is mine." He punctuated each word with spittle. "Come here, boy." The old man extended his hand.

"No," Anakin said.

"No? I think yes." Palpatine pulled his hands in front of his torso. "You hold their lives in your hands. Your life or theirs."

Anakin looked at Padmé, her eyes filled with tears, and then at his defiant son.

The Jedi behind Anakin stepped forward.

"Stop." Palpatine lifted his hand. "One more move, and they will all die."

He fell to the floor and allowed his lightsaber to roll to his master. "I am yours, my master."

Palpatine's hideous cackle filled the room once again. "Good. Good. And now, my apprentice, prove your loyalty and terminate the leaders of the Rebel Alliance."

Anakin stared at his wife once more. "Don't ask that, please, my master."

"Ah, then your son."

Anakin jerked his head to Luke. "No. I can't."

"Weak. Your compassion makes you weak. It always has." Palpatine rubbed his hands together, his heavy sleeves covering the yellowed fingernails. "Your hesitancy tells me all I need to know." Darth Sidious stretched his fingers in front of him. "It's time to let go of all you fear to lose."

Blue wisps of lightning streaked from the madman's fingertips. As the first one hit, Padmé rolled on the floor and jerked with each bolt.

"Nooo!" Anakin threw himself across the chamber with the Force. He landed on top of her, taking the Force-lightning. His back jerked and then spasmed forward. The blue bolts crackled over his armor, lighting him up. He held Padmé under him, not allowing another bolt to hit her. Bail scooted out of range of the lightning.

Palpatine walked down the steps from his throne and closed the distance between him and his apprentice. His face transformed into a hideous green. His eyes passed the threshold from yellow to red. The lightning sparked around him.

Luke took his chance while the Emperor was distracted. With the Force, he grabbed his father's lightsaber from the dais. The boy raced toward his father and the Emperor, lightsaber illuminating his path in the shadowed room.

Before he reached the Emperor, Palpatine's left hand shot back at him. Blue bolts hit the boy as he flew across the room. His small body slammed into the nearest command pod and slid down the tall tower to the floor.

When Palpatine turned back to his apprentice, he was met by four lightsabers reflecting the bolts back to the Sith Master.

"Hold them steady, Ahsoka. Don't let go."

The Togruta grunted with the effort it took.

Yoda said, "Hmm, tables turned, Sidious. And about time."

"Stop. Please stop." The Emperor lay on the floor now. His raised hand trembled. "I'm dying."

"Enough." Yoda waved his hand. "The Sith we are not."

"Thank you, my friend." Palpatine coughed, sat up, and then raised his hands, blasting the trio of Jedi across the chamber. "Fooo—"

* * *

"No, Luke!" Leia screamed as she watched her brother fly across the chamber and hit the control tower.

Han struggled with the girl as she squirmed and wriggled. "Hey, listen to me. You can't go out there."

Leia pounded her fists on his chest. When his grip strengthened, she bit his forearm.

"Oww!" Han rubbed his injury. "I can't believe you did—hey, little girl, get back here! Leia!"

The small princess in her white snowsuit ran through the chamber, taking cover at each command pod until she reached her brother's limp body. While the Jedi deflected lightning, the little girl lay prostate on her brother's torso. Tears dripped from her eyes. "No." She wept. "No."

She turned her head to her parents and the cause of all their problems. "No." This last word came out as a moan. Leia scanned the chamber, looking for anything that could make a difference. A cylindrical tube near the foot of the Imperial throne glinted in the purple twilight.

Leia extended her hand and closed her eyes in extreme concentration. She pulled in the Force as she had been taught and waited for it. Nothing. She pulled again, and again. And then it flew quicker than sound straight to her hand.

As the Sith Master resumed his Force-lightning maneuvers, Leia sprinted across the chamber. She activated the blue lightsaber as she ran. Pad, pad, pad, thump, thump, thump. Closer. Almost there.

Palpatine's head turned a fraction. Almost there. She leaped forward, both hands gripping the lightsaber. Her body rotated like a skewer as she flew parallel to the floor.

The Emperor's eyes opened wide when he saw the blue blade stick through his chest.

Yoda called from the end of the chamber, "Anakin!"

The aged Jedi Master hobbled toward the scene. Ahsoka shook Obi-Wan to consciousness. The pair followed close behind.

Anakin rolled over, his cape smoking and his body drained. Padmé pushed herself up and hung on her husband's arm. "It's not over. Let go." His crackling words extended no further than a meter.

The Chosen One crawled to his former master and placed his hands on the corpse. Master Yoda reached Anakin within seconds. "Come. All we will need."

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka reached the group a few moments later. The four Jedi circled the shriveled form.

Padmé called, "Leia!"

Bail hurried to his daughter and swooped her up in his arm before hauling her to the wall.

Padmé crawled across the floor to the still body of her son Luke while the Jedi worked arcane powers on the body of Palpatine. She pulled the small body into her arms. While brushing the hair out of his eyes, tears fell down her face. "Luke. No, Luke."

* * *

 **Chapter 48 will be posted tomorrow around 11 PM UTC on Christmas Day.**


	49. Chapter 48 - Aftermath

**CHAPTER 48—AFTERMATH**

A red glow cast the Jedi's faces into shadows. An eerie squeal filled the hall. Even the non-sensitive covered their ears, only to find the scream permeated their souls.

The red glow swirled around the room, weaving between the command pods and the Rebels before sucking itself into the center of the Jedi. All sound cut off. No scream. No fans. No motors. Only the breathing of the survivors.

"Finished it is," Yoda wheezed. The tiny Jedi Master doubled-over, clutching a small item in his hands.

Obi-Wan placed his hand on Yoda's back, and Ahsoka grabbed Anakin's arm as they all turned to the crouched form of Padmé holding the spiritless form of Luke. A moan of agony emanated from Anakin's beat-up body. "Luke. No!"

He rushed to his wife's side and took the lifeless form into his arms. "Oh, Luke!" He clutched the boy to his chest. "It should have been me, not you."

Bail and Leia joined the group mourning the small boy. Held by her father's arms, Leia reached out her delicate hand to touch her brother's blue face. She jerked it back. "Oww!"

When she screamed, Bail pulled her fingers to his gaze. "What's wrong."

"I thought I felt something. Like a shock."

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but Luke's gone. He's dead."

"No! He can't be! I felt him just now," Leia cried. "I feel him. He's there. In the Force."

Master Yoda said, "That is the way of things, Leia. When our spirits leave our bodies, they join the Force. He will always be with us, though."

Leia pushed against Bail and jumped down. She grabbed Luke by the arm and shook it heavily. "Luke Skywalker, you'd better wake up right this instant. I'm done with your little games." She shook him some more. "Please."

Padmé reached up from her seat on the floor and coaxed the little girl into her arms.

"Mommy, I know he's not dead. I know it."

"Shh, Leia, it's time to let him go." She held her there, stroking her back and sharing her sorrow with copious tears of her own.

 _BAMMMM! BAMMMM! BAMMMM!_

The blastdoors sliding back interrupted the group. "Senator, we've breached the Throne Room. Everything's clear. You may proceed."

Captain Rex clicked a button on his helmet and directed his squad of Mandalorians around the room. They secured the secret entrances while Rex joined the group. "General Kenobi, the temple is secure. Senator Mothma is en route now."

"Bring a medic up and a stretcher," Kenobi said. His clouded eyes looked at Padmé and then Luke. "And a body bag."

Rex tilted his head and said, "But, sir—"

Kenobi raised his hand to stop him and turned his head to hide his tears.

Ahsoka stepped to Rex and grabbed his arms. "Let us have a moment."

"But—"

"Rex, please, this is hard—"

Rex turned his back on her and flicked on his comm unit once more. "This is Captain Rex. We need a medical team and two stretchers up here on the double. Rex, out."

Ahsoka pulled his arm to face him. Her hardened face and gritted her teeth. "I can't believe how insens—"

The captain pushed passed her and rushed to Anakin. "General Skywalker, help's on the way." His white-armored arms reached out for the boy. "Here, let me take the boy. You don't look so hot yourself." Anakin's stony face did not relax as he gave the boy to his old friend.

Rex laid the boy flat on the cold floor and removed his helmet and gloves. He straightened his back and tilted his head back. He bent his ear to the boy's mouth and pressed on the side of Luke's neck. For many seconds he stayed like that. "Heartbeat! Weak and irregular but it's there." Anakin knelt beside Rex as the soldier pinched Luke's nose and blew a slow puff of air into his mouth.

Rex continued the breathing cycle for fifty exhalations until the medical team raced through the door. The group of men and women dropped two stretchers beside Luke and Padmé. One of the medics swapped places with Rex and applied a ventilator to the boy's mouth. "Good work, Captain."

One of the female medics looked up from her scanner. "Tachycardia and thready pulse. Apnea. No, make that dyspnea. Compression injuries to the spine. Concussion."

"He's alive?" Anakin asked from his spot on the floor. "Luke's alive."

"Barely. What happened?"

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin and waved him off. "Jedi business." The lead medic huffed and then shook her head.

While the medical team transferred Luke to the stretcher, a couple of Mandalorians pushed an imposing Wookiee and tall man with dark hair with their hands raised above their heads from one of the alcoves. "Sir, I found these two in the corridor."

The man dropped his hands and gestured toward Leia. "Hey, look, I can expla—"

Leia ran toward the due and jumped into Han's arms. "Han!" She kissed him on the cheek.

Bail rose from the floor and placed his hands on his hips. "Who are you?"

"Wait, this is a mistake," Han started.

Chewbacca roared.

"Oh, Daddy, this is Han. He saved me." Leia kissed the man again.

Han shoved her at Chewbacca. "All we did was save her from of Jabba's slavers. We were only trying to return to her family."

Bail raised his eyebrows at his daughter. "Leia." That one word could not be mistaken for anything but the admonition it was.

Leia dialed her dimple power to full force. "Oh, Daddy, he didn't know what would happen. Honestly, he was just trying to keep us safe."

Bail sighed. "Let them go." He lifted his head toward the Wookiee who now held his daughter. Chewbacca lowered her down.

A contingent of clicking feet entered the Throne Room. Droid cams flew above their heads while news crews jostled toward the leader of the new group. Austere Mon Mothma, the Senator from Chandrila, lead the group past the medical scene and through the soldiers on either side. They passed a forgotten black robe lying on the floor closer to the throne. A bodyguard contingent of Mandalorians in green armor surrounded her. The former Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze, followed slightly behind her.

Mothma motioned for Bail to join her as they mounted the steps of the dais. With grace, the senator rotated in front of the Throne. "Citizens of the Republic. I, Mon Mothma, Senator of Chandrila, with Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan and former ruler of Mandalore, Duchess Satine Kryze, bestow glad tidings today. The Imperial government has been banished into outer darkness. The New Republic stands before you today." She motioned to Bail.

He straightened his blue tunic and swapped places with her in the center of the dais. "The Senate will convene in three days to lay foundations for this New Republic. Let us learn from our past and our present to establish a future for our children."

The Duchess of Mandalore stepped forward. "And Mandalore will take its place in this Republic once more. May peace and justice reign forever with our guardians the Jedi guiding us through the light."

Yoda coughed. After pulling his discarded gimer stick to him with the Force, he hobbled to the dais.

The crowd whispered, "Master Yoda."

He pushed through the crowd of soldiers and news crews and joined the group on the impromptu stage. "No. To fight a war instead of to pursue peace our failing. Rise or fall without our interference the Republic will. The Force is our guide."

Without waiting for approval, he pushed his way back to the group of Jedi. One news camera followed him, focusing on the small group with the medics. When they reached the group, the broadcaster yelled, "Vader! Darth Vader is alive!"

Mon Mothma grabbed Bail's hand with was reaching toward his pocket. She shook his head. "Arrest that man." The Mandalorians surrounding Anakin pulled their guns into position and dragged him away.

Padmé groaned from her stretcher.


	50. Chapter 49 - The Trial

**CHAPTER 49—THE TRIAL**

The golden protocol droid waddled after the speedy princess. "Princess Leia, don't you dare turn on the holovid. Your father left specific instruc—"

"Oh, hush, Threepio," the princess said as she dragged a dining room chair through the rooms. "I promised daddy I wouldn't turn on the holovid."

Threepio caught up with her in the long hallway. "Well, that's good. I never know what to expect these days."

Leia dragged the heavy, carved chair to a back bedroom that overlooked the city's central square.

"Wait a minute." C-3PO's arm jerked up. "Where are you taking tha—"

With a push of a button, Leia locked him out of the guest bedroom. She pushed the chair beside the window and crawled on top of it. With the lights out and the privacy screen deactivated, she could see the electronic billboards that extended hundreds of stories with a running caption imposed on each screen.

In unison, the variety of advertisements cut off. A shaky vid output stabilized to reveal the exclusive War Crimes Trials coverage by Holo Net News Channel. "—is Jena Duar with a report on the two civilians injured in last week's coup. A young boy is recovering from electrical shocks and burns. His doctors expect a full recovery in a few weeks. Our investigative reporters have confirmed the boy is Luke Skywalker. Speculations are that he is a distant relative of the Clone War hero General Anakin Skywalker."

A bystander in the crowd yelled, "What about the woman? There was a woman taken in, too. We hear she was an accomplice with Darth Vader." The crowd around the journalist started chanting, "Kill Darth Vader! Kill Darth Vader!"

The journalist adjusted her orange hair with purple tips and smiled at the screen. "Our sources have been unable to unearth any information on her. The med center has reported her in stable condition. We'll bring you more news as soon as we have it. And, now, back to you, Lang."

The video cut away to a Twi'lek male with deep purple eyes and claw-like fingernails. His purple lekku draped over his shoulders in a seductive manner. "Thanks, Jena." The camera panned back and then cut to an aerial droid's shot of the Senatorial Complex. "I'm standing here in the Senatorial Judgment Chamber awaiting the war crimes trial of Sith Lord Darth Va—."

* * *

The camera and audio cut to the proceedings. The immense chamber illuminated by stark white wall lights held a single catwalk that led to the defendant's circle. Two clone troopers escorted Anakin Skywalker down the path, his wrists bound in front of him by stun cuffs. His torn black cape swung limply from his back as the man in life-support suit thudded across the metal planking. Only the helmet was missing. Two other troopers awaited him there.

Leia lifted the macrobinoculars that swung around her neck to her eyes. After focusing in on the face of her father, she saw a man she didn't recognize. Sure, the face was the same, but the dark circles under his eyes and the sagging skin around his face told her how hard this last week had been on him. He had been allowed no visitors. Her father Bail had said he had refused legal representation.

And now this might be the last time she would ever see her real father again. And, Luke. Luke wouldn't see him either. And Padmé—oh, how was Padmé going to live after this? Leia knew this would devastate her.

The bailiff thumped his scepter on the floor three times to call the crowd to order, but no one was talking. The court of Senators and Jedi were silent. The camera panned to each of the jurors. Master Yoda, Master Kenobi, and ten senators whose names escaped Leia. She was worried when she didn't see her father Bail.

The prosecutor's door opened, and Bail Organa, Senator of Alderaan, stepped onto the balcony. The camera cut away to defendant's legal counsel's empty balcony.

Leia gasped, "No, no, no. Please, Daddy, don't do this."

Newly elected Chancellor rose from her throne. "Darth Vader, you have been charged with the following war crimes: murder, enslavement, ill-treatment of prisoners of war, killing of hostages, plunder of property, wanton destruction, and attempted genocide of the Tusken peoples. This court will decide your fate."

She motioned to Bail. " Prosecution, you may begin your arguments. State your name and credentials for the record."

Bail stepped to the rail of the balcony, closest to Vader. "Bail Organa, Viceroy and Senator of Alderaan. Darth Vader, video evidence claimed from Tatooine, as well as code cylinders bearing your orders, shall prove your guilt in these heinous crimes. Evidence Aurek: a security video from a Mos Eisley street wherein squads of stormtroopers rounded up Wookiees and Tuskens."

The silent video flared on the screen.

"Evidence Besh: said Wookiees hauled to transport ships. Evidence Cresh." Bail pulled a clear bag from his satchel. "Code cylinders retrieved from Mos Eisley with orders to take the Wookiees to Geonosis for slave labor on Project Stardust."

Anakin nodded but said nothing in defense.

"Evidence Dorn: another code cylinder ordering the massacre of all Tuskens from the planet Tatooine." Bail tossed the bag in front of Vader's feet.

The trial continued, with Bail providing twenty separate pieces of evidence. "I could go on, ladies and gentlemen, but the day is wearing thin. Since the defendant has refused any representation . . ."

"Wait just a minute."

Leia squealed when she heard that voice. The cameras swiveled to the legal defense balcony to reveal the pale, but feisty, Quemé Naberrie. "I will defend him."

Mon Mothma stepped forward. "I cannot allow that. The defendant has refused counsel. It is his choice."

"I apologize, Chancellor, ladies and gentlemen of the court, but I was detained in the med center. If the defendant will accept me, may I represent him?"

Mon Mothma turned to the jurors and then to Bail. He clenched his lips and nodded.

"Very well. Defendant, will you accept this representation?"

The Sith Lord nodded.

"We must have a verbal response, Defendant."

"Yes. I accept her representation."

"State your name and credentials for the record, Counselor." Mon Mothma nodded at her.

"Padmé Naberrie Amidala, former Queen and Galactic Republic Senator of Naboo."

Gasps echoed around the room and in the courtyard when the Holonet feed cut to the amassed crowds outside the complex.

"Order. Order." Mon Mothma motioned her hand to the Bailiff.

He slammed his scepter down and repeated the command. "Order. Order."

"Is there anyone who will vouch for the identity of Senator Amidala?" Mon Mothma asked the jurors.

Master Yoda and Obi-Wan both stood up. "I will" and "Will I" overlapped. Another "I will" came from the opposite direction.

"Very well. Enter the name of the Counselor into the record. Madam, you may have the floor." The Chancellor returned to her throne.

Padmé stepped to the edge of her defense balcony and stared at the accused. "Defendant, please state your name for the record."

He looked up at her and then turned his face to jurors. "Darth Vader, Sith Lord, Field Marshal of the Imperial Armies and Fleets."

"No, your real name."

"Don't do this Padmé," Anakin whispered under his breath.'

"Lord Vader, your Defense Counsel asked you a question. I demand you answer it." Mon Mothma crossed her arms and leaned forward in her seat.

"Anakin Skywalker, General of the Armies of the Galactic Republic and Jedi Knight."

Another round of gasps generated outcry from the ten senator jurors.

Mon Mothma ordered, "Silence. Who he was has no bearing on this trial, Senator Amidala. Please move along with your defense and don't waste any more of the jury's time."

"I wish to bring present a witness, Madam Chancellor."

Bail's mouth dropped forth. "I object. I was not informed that the Defense would be providing any witnesses. I have not had the opportunity to interview or prepare."

Padmé raised her hand. "Senator Organa, I may not have prepared a list of witnesses, but _you_ did. I call Captain Rex to the witness stand."

Bail's mouth dropped. He raised his eyebrows at Padmé and crossed his arms.

Captain Rex entered the witness stand from another doorway in the grand hall. Dressed in charcoal gray tunic and slacks, he looked entirely out of place in this assembly. He had cropped his gray beard close to his face. His chiseled features and scars told the story of this man's life.

Padmé said, "Witness, please state your name for the record."

"Captain Rex, CT-7656. 501st Legion. Retired."

Padmé asked, "Lord Prosecutor, is this man on your witness list?"

"Yes, Lady Defender. You may proceed."

Padmé strutted toward the jurors' box. "Captain Rex, as a former clone trooper, you have a unique perspective. When did you remove your control chip?"

Rex opened his mouth and glared at her. "Nine years ago."

"That would place it before Order 66. How did you know about them?"

"We were on a mission during the Clone War, and one of our troopers went crazy. We were told it was virus we'd picked up, but none of the medical scanners identified it. When we were doing a scan of his body, found the chip. It was malfunctioning. It wasn't the last one, either. Not long after, well, a couple of my buddies and me, we were separated from our unit. They never came back for us."

Bail interrupted, "You mean you deserted."

Padmé said, "Lord Prosecutor, Captain Rex is not under trial here. I'm sure that whatever actions he took for his own survival when his unit thought him dead were appropriate at the time. Captain, could you please tell us how you removed your chip and what changed."

"I once told my unit that we weren't programmed and had to make our own decisions, but once I removed that chip, I knew that we had been programmed. Programmed to obey and not question orders. Programmed to kill. Programmed not to feel. Once I removed the chip, that all changed. I knew what we had done wasn't always right. And their faces haunt me even now."

Padmé asked, "How would you describe being freed from the control of the chip?"

Rex shook his head. "It was like a chain had been unlocked. I could think. My body could respond to my own commands."

Bail sighed and rolled his eyes. "I object. This is nothing more than hearsay."

Mon Mothma nodded. "Madam Defender are you finished with this witness?'

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Very well. Lord Prosecutor, you may cross-examine the witness."

"Captain Rex, do you remember the mission on Umbara?" Bail's eyes narrowed.

"The shadow world?"

"Exactly. During that mission, you led a mutiny against the command of General Krell. If you say that you had to obey every order given, how could you have mutinied?"

"Well, what he was doing was wron—"

Mon Mothma interrupted. "Captain Rex, thank you for your testimony. You are dismissed. Honored Jurors, please strike his testimony from evidence. Lady Defender, have you any other witnesses?"

Padmé opened her mouth to respond. She looked at Anakin, his head hung low. "Yes, Command Cody, SC-2224."

"Your Excellency, I don't know what the Defense is trying to prove with this angle . . ."

Mon Mothma raised her hand. "I'll allow it, but I warn you, Lady Defender, that you get to your point quickly."

After the commander had stated his name and rank for the record, Padmé questioned him. "Commander, are you a clone from the Jango Fett breeding pool on Kamino?"

"Yes."

"Do you still have a controller chip inserted in your brain?"

"No."

"When was it removed?"

"Fifteen days ago."

"Recently, then. Have you noticed any changes in your compulsions? Your behaviors?"

"Since the controller chips were activated eight years ago, my only focus has been destruction of the Jedi and the Rebels. In fact, the controller chip would send out shockwaves when our brains thought of anything else. If it wasn't pertinent to the mission, we couldn't think about it."

"And you don't experience that anymore?"

"No. You don't see me jerking in front of you."

Bail interrupted. "That's hardly proof, Your Excellency."

Cody stepped forward. "Well, Senator, why don't you go pull one of the clones who still has his chip in? There are some in Tarkin's fleet. That's if they haven't gone crazy yet not knowing what their mission is now with no direction."

A rustle emanated from the jurors' box.

Mon Mothma raised her hand. "Lady Defender, what is your point in all this. We know that treatment of the clones must be addressed, but right now how does this apply to Darth Vader's crimes?"

Padmé drew herself up to her fullest height and authority. "Your Excellency, will the New Republic prosecute the clone troopers for executing Order 66 and terminating the Jedi?"

"No, of course not. They had no choice."

"I submit to you that Vader had no choice either. This time it was not the compulsion of a controller chip, though, but of his very soul. I present to you Evidence Usk: video evidence from Chancellor Palpatine's office eight years ago."

R2-D2 rolled onto the platform.

"The Lord Prosecutor's astromech droid has retrieved security recordings from the Chancellor's Office eight years ago. Permission to submit?"

Bail nodded without hesitation. Mon Mothma agreed as well.

After R2 extended his data arm into the jack, a scratchy recording flickered onto the screens.

 _A dark Jedi held a purple blade to the former Chancellor's throat. "You are under arrest, my lord."_

 _The Chancellor looked up from the floor and said to the newly arrived Anakin Skywalker, "Anakin, I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over."_

 _The Jedi said, "The oppression of the Sith will never return. You have lost."_

 _"No. No. No. You will die." Bolts of blue lightning shot forth from the Chancellor's hands, attacking the Jedi. "He's the traitor."_

 _"He is the traitor."_

 _The Chancellor said, "I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose."_

 _"Don't listen to him, Anakin."_

 _"Don't let him kill me." The Chancellor's voice weakened as the Force currents surrounded his own body. "I can't hold it any longer." He mumbled some unintelligible words. "Too weak. Help me! Help me!" Nearly destroyed, he said, "I-I-I-I can't hold on any longer."_

 _Master Windu said, "I am going to end this once and for all."_

 _Anakin finally spoke. "You can't. He must stand trial."_

 _"He has control of both the Senate and the courts. He's too dangerous to be left alive." Windu continued to hold his blade at the fallen Chancellor._

 _"I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please._

 _"It's not the Jedi way. He must live."_

Padmé interjected, "Freeze the frame." The picture solidified on Anakin's youthful face. "Look at the face carefully, Honored Jurors. Look at his eyes. He is distraught, but still the core of Anakin is the same. Continue with the video."

 _Palpatine said, "Please don't."_

 _"I need him."_

 _"Please don't."_

 _Windu struck out at the Chancellor, but Anakin blocked his swipe and severed the Jedi Master's right arm. The Chancellor sat up and gave the Jedi Master one last charge of Force-lightning. Windu fell through the window._

 _Anakin collapsed on a bench and moaned, "What have I done?"_

The recording dissolved into scratches and hisses before changing to black.

"Is that a Jedi or a Sith, Honored Jurors? I grant you, he made an error in judgment. But he honestly thought he was preserving the Jedi Code by insisting on a fair trial for the Chancellor. He regretted his failure. He regretted his decision."

The Jurors mumbled.

"I present Evidence Vev: video evidence from a few minutes later."

A new black-and-white video appeared on the screen, just as shaky and distorted.

 _"Because the council did not trust you, my young apprentice, I believe you are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot. When the Jedi learn what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all the senators," Palpatine said before cloaking his deformed head._

 _Anakin said, "I agree. The council's next move will be against the Senate."_

 _Palpatine's voice scratched through. "Every single Jedi, including your friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic."_

 _"I understand, Master."_

 _"We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless. If they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. First, I want you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate to show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side to save—."_

"Stop the video. I present to you that Anakin Skywalker was manipulated and controlled by the Sith Master Darth Sidious for his own purposes. From that moment, he was no longer in control of his own actions or motives. Wanting to save his . . . his . . . wife, the Emperor played on his fears, lied to him, murdered his wife, and controlled his every step and thought from that moment. Darth Vader was an instrument with no feeling and no control. How can we blame him any more than we can blame the clones for the execution of Order 66?"

The Jurors murmured. Yoda looked at Obi-Wan. They both grimaced and stood for attention.

Bail interrupted again. "I object, Your Excellency. Whatever his motives were, he still slaughtered the Younglings in the Jedi Temple. He still ordered the genocide of the Tuskens on Tatooine only three weeks ago. And I demand that you charge our Lady Defender on two counts of perjury to this court."

The court broke out in utter chaos. The Bailiff slammed his scepter on the hard floor multiple times and yelled for order. Mon Mothma waited long minutes until the court settled. "Lord Prosecutor, those are serious charges. Please explain."

"Your Excellency, the Lady Defender is a long-time acquaintance. She claimed that Darth Sidious murdered Skywalker's wife, but that is impossible. She perjured herself in her very first statement. And she did it again in her last. Honored Jurors, I give you Padmé Naberrie Amidala _Skywalker_ , the wife of Anakin Skywalker."

Chaos broke out again. But this time, Master Yoda stepped to the front of the Juror's Box. "Enough. Enough. Time for all to be made clear. Padmé died. Master Kenobi there. I was there. Her life-Force slip from us we felt . . . after she gave birth to twins. The darkness was so strong at that time, nothing we saw in the Force before it happened. Certain am I it was Sidious."

All eyes and cameras were riveted on the green man. "The death, convenient. No one knew of the children, but the three of us there. Obi-Wan, myself, and the Lord Prosecutor. Master Kenobi and Senator Organa secured homes for the children, to live in obscurity and anonymity, while I took Padmé to Naboo for burial."

"But how did she survive?"

"Life and death are part of the Force, and their boundaries can merge at times. The rest, only a powerful Jedi can undertake. One of our earliest masters learned how to cheat death itself," Obi-Wan supplied.

The crowd babbled again.

Yoda held up his hands. "No, no questions. It is enough, she lives. It is enough Anakin lives. As a Jedi, the heart of a man I see. The heart of a man freed from the compulsion of the Sith. Freely chosen this he has. However, for his crimes he must pay."

Mon Mothma held up her hands. "Master Yoda, Master Kenobi, I must request you both recuse yourself from this jury. We will reconvene with a new jury selection from the remaining senators tom—"

"Your Excellency, I demand Senator Organa recuse himself from the Lord Prosecutor's position as well," Padmé interrupted. "He is not innocent in these dealings either and stands to gain something personal should the accused be sentenced."

"Senator Skywalker, think carefully before you speak. Is this really what you want to do?"

Padmé glanced at Bail and then at Anakin. Her husband shook his head.

"No."

* * *

The video cut off all screens in the market. Lang Dyas's face appeared on the screens after a few seconds. "Well, there you have it. New jury selection tomorrow. What did you think, Jena? Senator Amidala was hiding something."

"Definitely, Lang—"

Leia turned her back on the screens and opened the bedroom door.

"Princess Leia!" C-3PO said.


	51. Chapter 50 - A New LIfe LAST CHAPTER

**CHAPTER 50—A NEW LIFE**

Mon Mothma leaned back in her executive chair and rubbed her forehead. "Padmé, sit before you collapse. Bail, you might as well, too."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"I don't know which of you I'm more angry at. You for breaking out the Med Center and pulling this farce, or you for charging her for perjury—or the both of you for risking the future of your child."

Bail and Padmé started yelling back and forth until Mon stood once more. "Quiet. I'm done with this. Padmé, if you had stayed in the med center, Anakin would have been sentenced already to life. Bail, if you can't keep your personal feelings out of this, I will replace you."

The two counselors hung their heads as the Chancellor continued. "As it is, you've risked Anakin's life, as well as this Republic's. If this trial ends with a hung jury, it won't be long until they'll be ousting me from office and propping up Governor Tarkin. So end it, here, right now."

"But—"

Mothma cut Bail off. "Bail, you're not going to lose Leia. Galaxy adoption laws of war orphans are firm on that, so cut out this nonsense. Don't use Leia as your bargaining chip. Especially if you want to see her in public office in the future."

Padmé glared at Bail. Bail stared back but eventually softened his stance. "All right."

"I don't know how you two can just take my daughter away from me like this," Padmé said with the back of her hand raised to her mouth.

"This trial isn't about Leia. It's about Anakin. Any jury is going to declare him guilty. The public won't allow anything else."

"You've already decided. Where's the justice in this?" Padmé asked. "This government is no better than the Empire. Maybe we were better with Sidious."

Bail grabbed her hands. "Padmé, you don't mean that. Anakin is guilty. Deep in your heart, you know that. But he's also a changed man now. I'm willing to allow him to live in a maximum security compound."

"What type of life is that?"

"On Alderaan. The Mountain Palace detention area. Give him round-the-clock guards. It's better than death."

"Can I visit him? Can Luke see him? Leia?"

Bail nodded. "You can live there with him if you want. And Luke. But I hold the controller."

"Really?" Padmé's eyes brightened.

Mon Mothma spoke up. "A few conditions."

Padmé turned to her old friend.

"Anakin can never leave the compound again."

Padmé nodded.

Bail said, "Luke and Leia continue training in the Force with Master Yoda."

Another nod.

"And you become Leia's political mentor." The last sentence Mon spoke, not Bail.

"I'm retiring, Mon. I'm done with all this."

Bail asked, "You would let Leia struggle the way you did with no one to guide her? It will be another ten years until she can serve. Just think what she would be like with you to show her the way?"

"Will Anakin get to see her?"

"Of cou—"

"No, I mean see her without supervision. Get to know her as his daughter. Maybe even teach her things about handling troops and—"

"We'll see."

"If Anakin's not involved in Leia's life, don't expect me to be either."

"You don't mean that, Padmé," Mon said.

Padmé nodded.

"Juror replacement and quick trial and sentencing tomorrow. Your new life begins the day after that."

"Agreed," they all said while clenching their hands in the middle.

* * *

Winter had transformed to a cool spring on Alderaan. The maximum-security cottage at the end of the meadow below the Palace was cramped but cozy. Obi-Wan and Anakin traded Clone War stories in comfortable chairs beside a large fireplace while Padmé warmed her hands on her stimcaf.

Dressed in warm pants and sweaters, Luke and Leia sat on the grass of the formal gardens hundreds of meters away while butterflies buzzed around them. Master Yoda perched on a rock waving his hands and explaining the ways of the Force to the Younglings. The little Jedi Master seemed impervious to the chilly temperature.

The cottage held the family and Yoda, the night-time bodyguard and day-time instructor. Yoda had the loft, while Luke slept in a tiny room the size of a large closet.

A knock on the heavy door interrupted the conversation. When the door creaked open, sunlight cast a frail figure into silhouette. Padmé was the first to stand. "Satine!"

Obi-Wan jumped from his seat and echoed Padmé's surprised greeting. His voice held not only surprise, but love. "Satine." He gulped.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but Breha told me I could find you here."

Padmé said, "Please come in. Sit down. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you." Satine stared at Obi-Wan, their eyes locked. "Well?"

Obi-Wan looked to Anakin. "I can't. I have duties, Satine. Responsibilities."

A cough from the doorway interrupted them. "So certain are you, Obi-Wan? Afraid. You are afraid." Yoda stood in the doorframe with the children on either side of him.

"I will do my duty, Master Yoda. I owe it to Anakin."

Anakin said, "You don't owe me anything, Obi-Wan."

"I failed you, Anakin, in more ways than I care to admit. I won't fail you again. You deserve to have a life with your family," Obi-Wan said.

"Why must it be either-or, Obi-Wan?"

"Master Yoda, what the Duchess asks would violate my vows. I would no longer be a Jedi."

"Hmm. Love is what the Jedi shun? No, Obi-Wan. Love is the basis of compassion. A vow of celibacy you did not take. A vow against loving yourself above the galaxy, yes." Yoda's eyes glistened with tears. He nodded at Obi-Wan.

Master Kenobi dropped to his knee. "Will you have me, Satine, my love? My duty lies here, but if you will join me, I will never leave you."

Satine pulled his hands up and held his face in her hands, sealing her unspoken promise with a kiss.

Anakin motioned his children from the door. Padmé slid onto the arm of his chair and wrapped her arm around his shoulders while Luke and Leia climbed into his lap. Each child jockeyed to climb higher than the other, wrapping their arms around his neck.

The Chosen One looked at each of his family and his friends. It was now, at the last, that he understood the true power of love.

Family.

* * *

 **Final author's note . . .**

When I started this story a little over a year ago, I never thought it would go the directions it did nor touch on themes.

I laughed, I cried, and I groaned "Oh, Brother" with young Luke.

Follow the life of Luke Skywalker after he saves his father Anakin in _Return of the Jedi_. Join him as he establishes the Jedi Order and falls in love with his Force-bonded.


End file.
